Identity Theft – 7

Identity Theft – 7

Subject – Helping Our People Trust Jesus with Their Identity

By Rick Welborne

Psalm 104:1&4-5 (NKJV)
¹  Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty,
⁴  Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.
⁵  You who laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever, 

--Today I want to encourage you to find your identity in Christ and let God be your only foundation. Before I conclude this sermon I want you to know you can trust the Lord!

--I am sure all of you remember Pastor Mark telling his story about coming here. The children’s pastor before him was loved very much. Pastor Mark struggled.

--I told him to be himself and not to worry about the former guy. Just be who God created you to be and everything will be okay. You just do you!

--When Pastor Aaron came, there were a few people who did not like his style of worship and leading. They wanted me to make him change or to let him go. No, God has spoken to me.

--I am glad God gave me the wisdom to let these guys be who God created them to be and that they have made Christ their foundation. Not me or not what people wanted them to be. Both are very successful.

--So why is it important to make Christ your foundation?

1. When God is my foundation, He helps me with my weaknesses.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NLT2)
⁷  even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.
⁸  Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.
⁹  Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
¹⁰  That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

--I love when people argue about Paul’s thorn in the flesh…His bad eyes, His mother-in-law, His guilt of persecuting the church…The Word tells us…A messenger from Satan…a demon to torment him.

--Whether we admit it or not, we all have weaknesses. If you say you don’t, your weakness is pride. In our weaknesses, if we will fall on our foundation, we will be made strong. Think about these verses:

Matthew 21:42&44 (NKJV)
⁴²  Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD'S doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes'?
⁴⁴  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder." 

--It is better to fall the Stone, Jesus Christ, and be broken than to let that Stone fall on us. It is much better to fall on the Stone. What does that mean?

James 4:6-10 (NLT2)                                                                                                                                               ⁶ As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”
⁷ So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
⁸ Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.
⁹ Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.
¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. 

2. Christ’s Foundation is What Makes Me Sufficient to do God’s Work

2 Corinthians 3:5-6 (NKJV) ⁵ Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,
⁶  who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

--We are not all that. God is the One Who makes us sufficient to do God’s work. If it is you, you will fall. If your identity is defined by Him, you will be blessed.

--I love this…He makes us sufficient as ministers. Thank God for that. How does He do that? By Holy Spirit. As we submit to God and depend on Holy Spirit, our ministry will be effective. 

3. Christ Laid the Foundation of the Earth.

--That’s funny to me. Look at our text again.

Psalm 104:1&4-5 (NKJV)
¹  Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty,
⁴  Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.
⁵  You who laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever, 

--I hope this illustration shows you how much we all need God and how much our identity should be found in Him alone. This is why should be able to trust Him.

Psalm 104:5 (NIV) ⁵ He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. 

--He set the earth on its foundation…again that is funny. Take the globe. Watch and see how much like God I am.

A. The earth is just suspended in space…nothing holding it up but God. Drop the globe.

B. On the earth people are standing on the top, the bottom, and the sides…let the man fall. Only God can do that. Gravity.

C. Just to make it tougher, the earth is spinning on its axis at 1000miles per hour. Why are the people and the things on the earth not slung off? Let me try. Nope! Only God’s foundation.

D. Oh, yes, the earth is exactly the right distance from the sun. 93 million miles. Any closer…we burn up. Further away, we freeze and starve. Only God’s foundation.

E. Water is a liquid and has a tendency not to stay where it should especially if the glass or earth, in this case, is tilted. Why doesn’t the water just sling off into space? God!

--So what’s the point, Pastor Rick? If God can set the earth on its foundation, how much more can He take care of you and me? My identity and my destiny are founded on Him!

--Man could not take care of his own foundation, so God had to intervene. 

1 Peter 1:18-20 (NKJV)
¹⁸  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
¹⁹  but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
²⁰  He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you

1 Corinthians 3:9-11 (NKJV)
⁹  For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.
¹⁰ According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.
¹¹ For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

--He is your foundation and He is your identity! Trust Him with everything inside of you!

Proverbs 3:5-7&19 (NLT2)
⁵  Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
⁶  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
⁷  Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
¹⁹  By wisdom the LORD founded the earth; by understanding he created the heavens. 

1 Peter 2:10 (NLT2) 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.” 

--He has the whole world in His hands and you, too!