Identity Theft - 1

Identity Theft - 1

Subject – Don’t let Them Steal Your Identity in Christ

By Rick Welborne

--King Nebuchadnezzar is the king of Babylon and he has troubling dreams…no leader in his kingdom can interpret them…Daniel comes along and tells him what the dreams mean.

--Daniel is exalted by the king and he puts three Hebrew young men in charge with him…Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  

--King N builds a 90-foot-tall image of himself and requires everyone to bow down to his image at the sound of all the music being played…the Hebrews refuse…They served only one God.

--The other leaders are jealous of them, their leadership, and that they are not conforming to the mandates being put out so they tattle to King N.

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.” 

--What a powerful story of these Hebrew young men who have made a decision to be who God called them to be not what others tried to make them into. Sound familiar?

--Today we are starting a new series which is called Identity Theft. I prayed about this for several weeks. 

Identity theft just started out as the potential of someone stealing our SS# and credit card information.

--We gave a benevolence check to someone from Life Church years ago and they took the account number off the check and made their own checks…They were trying to steal what was not theirs. 

--The more I thought about this thing with Identity Theft and hearing junk on the news on a daily basis has opened my eyes to a more sinister plot of the enemy. Our Life Church verse:

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.

--Of course, another form of identity theft has been the world robbing the church of its true identity. They have convinced us that if we speak out against things that are anti-biblical that we are bigoted or racist.

--If we speak out against homosexuality or about gender identity that we are mean and without compassion.

--Which person is lacking in love and compassion…the guy who refuses to tell you the bridge is out or the person who does everything to warn you and stop you?

--I personally refuse to be identified or labelled by a liberal world system that says anything goes except Christianity…the Bible will be my manual to direct my path. Same with the Hebrew young men.

Psalm 119:105 (NKJV) ¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. 

1. My identity has been defined by God.

Matthew 19:4-6 (NKJV)
⁴  And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,'
⁵  and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
⁶  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

Family Research Council:  Virtually all people have a biological sex, identifiable at birth and immutable through life, which makes them either male or female. The transgender movement represents a denial of this physical reality.  

Genesis 5:2 (NCV) ² He created them male and female… We are made in the image of God.

--News flash…God has already decided your identity when you were born male or female. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

--Family Research Council shares how those who try to have their sexual identity changed are among the highest on the list of suicides…they are so confused. Actually deceived. 

--Let me say loud and clear…any form of sexual abuse is Identity Theft because of what it robs from its victims. Children and women were never intended to be targets of sick men abusing them. Thieves!

--Years ago I had to deal with one of the most difficult Identity Theft issues I had ever seen. We had a couple in our church (retired) who had three beautiful daughters (grown and gone).

--The man dies and the woman is hurt and broken at her loss. All three daughters sit down with mom…dad abused us all while we were growing up. Obviously the daughter’s identities were stolen…much pain.

--Now imagine the identity of the woman as a good mother and a faithful wife…her identity stolen by the lust and greed of this selfish husband and dad. Imagine the anger but how do you fix this…her peace was stolen.

2. When we question God about our identity we are headed for trouble.

--Many of us have been brain washed by the media and its constant bombarding of the worldly agenda. God please take us back to Andy and Barnie and Bonanza where right was right and wrong was wrong.

--Now, almost every sitcom has at least one homosexual couple and it is made to be cute and funny but it is neither cute nor funny when it goes against scripture. The three Hebrews knew who they were.

--That slow constant dripping is so messing with the minds of even those who claim Christ…I heard a believer say not too long ago about same sex relationships…what does it matter if they love each other? 

--You can accuse God all you want but you have a choice in the matter…The enemy comes to steal your identity but Jesus said He came so you could have life and have it more abundantly! Be steadfast! 

Isaiah 29:15-16 (NIV)
¹⁵  Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, "Who sees us? Who will know?"
¹⁶  You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "He did not make me"? Can the pot say of the potter, "He knows nothing"? 

Romans 9:20 (NKJV) ²⁰ But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?"

--Romans 1 tells of the downward spiral that we can go down if we are not careful…We do not give Him glory as God, we are unthankful, our thinking is foolish, our hearts are darkened, we exchange truth for a lie:

Romans 1:26-28 & 32 (NCV)
²⁶  Because people did those things, God left them and let them do the shameful things they wanted to do. Women stopped having natural sex and started having sex with other women.
²⁷  In the same way, men stopped having natural sex and began wanting each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and in their bodies they received the punishment for those wrongs.
²⁸  People did not think it was important to have a true knowledge of God. So God left them and allowed them to have their own worthless thinking and to do things they should not do.
³²  They know God’s law says that those who live like this should die. But they themselves not only continue to do these evil things, they applaud others who do them. 

3. The answer: Turn back to God!

--If God created us, if he created us male and female, if He created us to be in the likeness of His image, shouldn’t we turn back to Him. Shadrack, Meshack. And Abednego chose not to turn away.

--If He knows the plans He has for us…plans to give us a hope and a future…shouldn’t we turn back to Him.

--If He is willing to heal the broken hearted and to set the captives free (from Identity Theft, from sexual abuse or gender identity), shouldn’t we turn back to Him.

--Listen to what God did for people who had their identity stolen.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NLT)
⁹  Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality,
¹⁰  or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.
¹¹  Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

--You were made right with God by calling on His name…maybe you have turned away for a season…maybe you have never turned to Him at all…shouldn’t you turn to Him today?

--Your identity is found in Christ…any other identity is superficial and deceiving…God looks at you as being His special people or person: Shadrack, Meshack. And Abednego chose to live different than the rest.

1 Peter 2:10 (NLT) ¹⁰  “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” 

Conclusion: Who do we trust when it comes to our identity, our gender identity, our lives going forward, who do we trust…Please choose to trust in God. Why? He created you the way you are for His purposes.

Psalm 139:13-14 (NIV)
¹³  For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
¹⁴  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

--God was not confused when He formed you…He created you to have His true identity.