January 4, 2009

WHO GOD IS---WHO YOU ARE

The most important thing that you can ever know is who God is. The next most important thing you can ever know is who YOU are.

If you don’t know who God is, how can you love Him and serve Him? And, if you don’t know who YOU are, how can you serve Him effectively? How can you fit into His plan and fulfill your destiny.

EPHESIANS 1:3-4 (NIV) 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he^[c] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

 In the Amplified Bible it says:

4Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love.

We are told two balancing truths in scripture: to value the life that God gave us and know who we are and value that---but to not think more highly of ourselves than we ought.

EPHESIANS 1:11In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

ROMANS 12:3-4 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,

So…here are the two important things:

1. We have to know GOD.

Those of us who have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior and have studied His Word KNOW WHO GOD IS. Of course, as we mature and read more and more of the Word, we learn more and more about God’s character. Knowing God is the most important thing there is to know.

2. We also have to know OURSELVES.

If you want to lead a full and happy life, you have to also know who YOU are—not just in your human nature—but who you are in Christ!

(Message Bible) EPHESIANS 1:11-12 It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone

EVERY SERVANT OF GOD---EVERYONE THAT GOD EVER USED—HAD TO LEARN WHO HE OR SHE WAS, NOT ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, BUT ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT. In fact, much of what they experienced through the years of preparation was meant to teach them who they were—not in themselves---but in GOD.

MOSES IS A GREAT EXAMPLE

Moses grew up in the palace of pharaoh and, when he first tried to accomplish his purpose, he did it in the strength of the flesh, because he only knew who he was in the flesh. He thought he was “all that” but none of “that” was going to accomplish what God wanted him to do. He had to spend 40 years in the desert, finding out that he WASN’T all that. He learned the lesson so well, that when God called him from the burning bush, he felt totally unqualified.

If you think you’re totally unqualified, that’s a good place to start, because NONE of us is qualified to do the work of God without God. That’s when it was revealed to Moses the two important things:

1. who God was

2. who he (Moses) would be with God.

GOD WANTS YOU TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE IN HIM!!

Moses looked back on his life in the flesh; he’d committed murder, he’d run away in fear, and we also know that, up till his return trip to Egypt,  he hadn’t even given his son the sign of the covenant. He was probably thinking some pretty negative things about himself

It's easy to get discouraged when the enemy whispers negative words in your ear about your value, your performance---your very life. And, when you’re sick, in pain, depressed, disabled—or when you’re in prison, you’re especially susceptible. You’d better believe that the enemy will take advantage of that. He’ll also do it when you’re grieving or when you've had a disappointment. He’ll pounce on you when you’ve been angry, hurt, or slighted.  He’s waiting for the chance!

AND, HE'LL DEFINITELY DO IT WHEN YOU'VE HAD A GREAT VICTORY.

In fact, that’s the most dangerous time, because he doesn’t want God’s beloved children to succeed. He wants to steal your blessings—your success—your joy---and make the backlash so bad that you will even try again.

 In other words, because He doesn't want you to succeed and He especially doesn't want you to know who you are in Christ, He'll try to make you feel really bad and then, when you’re miserable, he’ll condemn you for feeling that way and tell you that you are a hopeless loser. But, beware the reverse; if that doesn’t work he will try to destroy you by making you think you’re BETTER than everyone else. He’ll try to puff you up with pride because “Pride goeth before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction”

THAT TAKES US BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THIS MESSAGE: We are told two balancing truths in scripture: to value the life that God gave us and know who we are and value that---but to not think more highly of ourselves than we ought.  You can never go wrong by letting your  worth and value being in Jesus and His power and knowledge.

YOU CAN DEFEAT THE DEVIL’S ATTACK BY KNOWING WHO YOU ARE AND THROWING IT BACK IN HIS FACE.

·         1. YOU WERE CHOSEN.

·         2. YOU WERE PREDESTINED

·         3. YOU WERE MADE TO BRING GOD PRAISE AND GLORY

·         4. YOU’RE MARKED AND SEALED

·         5. YOU ARE AN HEIR TO THE KING

·         6. YOU ARE GOD’S POSSESSION

EPHESIANS 1:11In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.

You are important---unique!  You will affect and change people's lives---sometimes with merely a smile or a touch—or even if you can’t leave your house—with e-mails, letters, phone calls, websites.

Those of you who have known Jesus and served Him---do you realize what you've already done? You've impacted thousands---and changed families for many generations to come. Even if you’ve only shared the Gospel with one person, who knows who that person has shared the Gospel with. Or maybe you didn’t even share the Gospel, but you did something kind and it is known that you are a Christian. Maybe you just said “God bless you” to someone. That could change that person’s life and the lives of everyone he knows.

WHAT WOULD THE WORLD HAVE BEEN LIKE WITHOUT YOU? You may never know the answer to that while you are on this side of eternity, but the world minus you would have been a much darker place.

Your life is a treasure. You may not know how this could be possible. You might be going through a hard time, and even feel the world would be a better place if you'd never been born. But, nothing could be farther from the truth. You are absolutely necessary, and God has called you for a purpose.

The enemy would like to rob you of that purpose. In fact, he doesn't even want you to know you have one. He wants you to feel useless and worthless. The enemy of your soul gets pleasure from your pain and depression.

But God loves you and wants you to know that you are special---to Him and to those around you. Never give up, or give in to Satan's assessment of your worth.

WHEN THE DEVIL TELLS YOU WHAT HE THINKS OF YOU, TELL HIM WHAT GOD THINKS OF YOU!

 YOU’RE A NEW CREATURE!

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

AND LOOK WHAT ELSE…

ROMANS 8:29-35 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

 31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:   "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither 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.