"Now if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory" Rm:8:17
Often this identity theft is
not even realized until it is too late, the victim dose not even know it has
occurred until the bills arrive.
Spiritual Identity Theft
Satan wants to commit the same crime
against Christians today, he wants to rob Christians of their Identity in Christ,
he attempts steal what rightfully belongs to us through Jesus Christ.
Many Christians have had their identity
in Christ taken from them, or maybe better said, their identity has been it is hidden
or confused, and they do not know it.
Satan
does not want you know who you are in Christ, he wants to cast a pall of
illegitimacy over you and your life, and or ministry. He wants to
keep you from your true identity in Jesus. In short, he wants to commit spiritual
identity theft.
Satan will use any means to accomplish this,
even sadly to say, other Christians. He does not want you to be who you
were called to be in Christ.
As Satan lusted after position and power and
the place of God and attempted to take it in the eternity past , so, he
now attempts to take your identity and place as well or keep you from it.
Embrace Your Rightful Identity
in Christ
No matter who you were born as in Adam,
through your birth; in Christ, you have a new identity all through and in
Jesus, who is the second or the last Adam.
"So it is written: "The first man
Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit."1Cor:15:45
Jesus came that we might have an all-new
identity in him. Rooted in Christ not the world. The time has come for Christians
to embrace their true Identity in Jesus.
What is Your Identity in Christ
Our Lord Jesus shares all things which
are his, with us, except his deity. From Jesus, issues forth our true identity,
everything that he has Jesus shares with us .
Jhn: 16:15-tells us that all the
spiritual resources that belong to him—"All that belongs to the
Father is mine...the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to
you"
Our God had blessed us even now in Jesus, not
just someday, but even now.
"Praise 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. For he chose us in him before the creation of the
world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for
adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ," Eph:1:3-5b
When we heard the message of the Gospel, and
accept the truth of that message and came to see what our Lord has accomplished
for each and all humanity, if they will but freely receive it, we then , experience
the blessings which our God has determined that we all should share in.
"And you also were included in Christ
when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you
believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is
a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are
God’s possession—to the praise of his glory." Eph: 1:13-14
We all are included in these great blessings
all in and through Jesus.
This is, and has been, even from Eternity past,
the will and purpose and pleasure of our God to bless us all through his son
Jesus. Our God is pleased to grant us every good thing in his son Jesus. Our
God is for us, and always graciously incline to all humanity, even if humanity
is in ignorance, indifference or even in defiance, our God still loves us.
"it is your Father’s good pleasure to
give you the kingdom."Lk:12:32b
It is literally the will of God that we all be identified as the very
Children of the Creator God"
Jhn: 1:12-13- Tells us that it is by own God’s will we are
“children of God”- not man’s will ,but God’s will.
This is the very reason for which our Lord
Jesus has come, so that we may be who we were, from eternity past, always meant
to be.
"Yet to all who did receive him, to those
who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children
born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but
born of God." Jhn: 1:12-13
A New Life
We have, in Jesus, been given an all-new life.
This is the life which St. Paul lived, this life was not just theoretical, but
practical for everyday living. It was a life lived out in "participation” with Jesus, thru Jesus'
perfect faith, which never fails.
Now in Heaven
"I have been crucified with Christ and I
no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" Gal: 2:20
Even now, in the view of our Father in
Heaven, each and all of us are seated in the very highth of Heaven with and in Jesus,
that is, our God, the Holy Trinity, has elevated us, that each and all, to such
lofty highth in and by his Holy Son Jesus Christ and we can experience this
when we come to believe in Jesus and receive it by grace alone.
"And God raised us up with Christ and
seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus," Eph: 2:6
If we could but catch but a glimpse of
what this truly speaks to us, we all would fall down and worship our God in the
person of his Son Jesus. There would never be one empty seat in any Church, anywhere,
upon the Earth, so glorious is this truth, it defies our understanding.
The language in which St. Paul writes is all
present tense, that indicates that this is the current realty for us, not just
some day. This is true for us even here and now.
That when our God looks upon his holy Son
Jesus, in his glorified resurrected humanity, the Father see all of us as well,
and when the Father looks upon us he sees Jesus. That is, Jesus is not just
Emanuel, "God with us", Jesus is "us with God". Jesus is there in the Heavens being
each and all of us as we were all meant to be, for us.
Jesus Shares With Us, Everything but His
Deity.
Whatever Jesus is there is corresponding
imputation to us, and to our identity. He is the Heir of God, we then, are
heirs of God
Rm: 8:17- Heirs with Christ
Jesus is in the body, that is, Jesus is
humanity through the incarnation, therefore we are part of Jesus’ body.
1Cor: 12:27- Part of the body of
Christ.
Jesus is the one who reconciles, we are the
reconciled.
2Cor: 5:18-19- We are reconciled back to
God.
Jesus is the King and Kingdom of God embodied;
we are now citizens of the Kingdom.
Phlp: 3:20- Citizens of the Kingdom.
Jesus is our High Priest; we are now made
priest of God.
1Ptr: 2:9- A Priest hood.
Jesus is the Redeemer; we are the
Redeemed.
Jesus is the Savior; we are the saved.
Whatever Jesus is, there is
corresponding imputation to us and our Identities.
Christians Need to Know
We need to know who we are in Christ, and
not allow Satan to rob us, to steal our identities, that who we are in our Lord
Jesus. Some Christians lack legitimacy, they do not know who they are in
Christ.
In the world, legitimacy is derived by the
acceptance and approbation of men; for Christian’s legitimacy comes only
through Christ. Jesus' worth, who Jesus is, is imputed to us, and when we come
to believe the Gospel message, which invites us to share in, and be who we were
always meant to be, we then experience our true identities in Jesus.
Too many Christians have had their
Spiritual Identities taken from them and they live in that uncertainty and sure
hope. Some believers feeling doubt as to God's good and gracious intent and
desire toward and for them, these Christians lack what God has intended them to have, they lack worth
or legitimacy. But this is only in their own minds not God’s. The Father loves
them more than they, or any of us, can ever know or understand.
Our Father accepts them fully as Children of
his house hold. In God's heart and mind, they, and we all, have complete
legitimacy in Jesus.
Believer,
we do not need the approval of man, it comes from God only. Our Identity, our
worth, our legitimacy, everything that we are to be, we are in Jesus.
Some Christians live in fear that they might
fail and loses out on salvation through their own lack, but this is the very
reason why our Lord Jesus came; we cannot save ourselves. Jesus came to provide
all these blessing and to be for us all what we could never be of our own
selves.
Do not allow Satan commit identity theft. Do not
let him appropriate for himself what God has given us in his Son Jesus Christ,
or keep you from accepting your true identity as a Child of God in Jesus.
Everything Jesus has, and is, he shares with
us, that is our identity, who we were all meant to be.
Our Identification
We need to keep our minds fixed on Jesus;
by having a singular focus on the person of Jesus Christ, by coming into
regular Worship, Study, Prayer, Fellowship, our understanding of our Identity
in Jesus, is strengthen and made a surer reality.
Jesus prayed to his Father that we all would
come to know him, and by so doing, experience the realities of the eternal life
which he has secured for each and all of us, if we will be freely receive it.
"this is eternal life that they may know
you , the only true God and Jesus Christ :whom you have sent" Jhn:17:3
When we know who Jesus is then we know who we
are, and our identity as Children of our God all thru and in Jesus.
Benediction: May we each and all, know
our true identity in our Lord Jesus Christ, today, tomorrow and
forevermore. Amen.
.jpg)
Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor
Topinabee Community Church
Topinabee Michigan
If You Would Like to Know More About or to Support the Ministry of Topinabee Community Church You Can go to Our Web Site.
https://topinabeechurch.org/index.html
You Can Follow Topinabee Community Church on Face Book
“If Its Not About Jesus, Its Not About Anything!”
No comments:
Post a Comment