Our Collective Identity

All right, y'all love the book of Ephesians?

Amen, I do too.

It is full of just spiritual meat,

and I am loving diving into it in my study

and then sharing what God gives me for you all.

So let's go there.

Let's go to Ephesians chapter two.

Once again, this book is about who we are and how we live,

and right now we are in the who we are part.

So that's exciting.

We're discovering our identity in Christ,

not according to what man says about us,

but according to what we read in God's word,

what he says about us.

So that's what we're talking about today.

Book of Ephesians chapter two,

we did the first 11 verses,

I'm sorry, 10 verses last Sunday,

and today we are doing verses 11

through the end of the chapter.

For some reason, this isn't working, Floyd.

There we go, there we go.

Just needed a minute.

Kind of like me when I first wake up,

so that's good.

It just needs a minute sometimes.

Much of our series is taken from the Christ-centered exposition,

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians by Tony Merida,

and that's a great series to avail yourself of

if you ever have an opportunity.

The background of the book of Ephesians,

written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Ephesus

where he had pastored for three years,

and he was written under house arrest in Roman imprisonment

off in Rome far away from this church in Ephesus,

and it was delivered by courier to this church

and then passed around to many other early churches

back in those days.

The breakdown is the first three chapters,

who we are in Christ,

the next three chapters,

how we live for Christ.

So today, we're continuing our series

on who we are in Christ.

If you see in your bulletin,

there's some blanks to fill out,

and so try to follow along,

and you can fill in those blanks

and take that home and look that over later

if you'd like to.

Ephesians chapter 2,

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

beginning in verse 11.

If you're able to physically,

would you mind joining me in standing,

and we'll read beginning in verse 11.

I'm reading from the Christian Standard Bible.

So then, remember that at one time,

you were Gentiles in the flesh.

It is safe for us to place ourselves

into this you umbrella, all right?

This was written to the church in Ephesus,

but it was written for all the early church Christians,

and God included it in our New Testament

for all of us to benefit from

so we can place ourselves into that you

that this is written to.

So then, remember that at one time,

you were Gentiles in the flesh,

called the uncircumcised,

by those called the circumcised,

which is done in the flesh by human hands.

At that time, you were without Christ,

excluded from the citizenship of Israel,

foreigners to the covenants of promise,

without hope and without God in the world.

But now, in Christ Jesus,

you see a parallel there?

Back earlier in the first part of chapter 2,

when it talked about you previously

followed the ways of the world,

according to the ruler, the power of the air,

the spirit, work, and the disobedient,

you were children of wrath,

but then in verse 4 it said,

but God, who is rich in mercy,

made us alive.

There is a direct parallel between that,

and again, how he emphasizes this point,

drives it home for us,

here in verse 13.

But now, in Christ Jesus,

you, who were far away,

have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace,

who made both groups one,

and tore down the dividing wall of hostility.

In his flesh,

he made of no effect the law consisting of commands

and expressed in regulations,

so that he might create in himself

one new man from the two,

resulting in peace.

He did this so that he might reconcile both

to God in one body,

through the cross,

by which he put the hostility to death.

He came and proclaimed the good news of peace

to you who were far away,

and peace to those who were near.

For through him,

we both have access in one spirit to the Father.

So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers,

but now fellow citizens with the saints,

and members of God's household,

built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets

with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.

In him,

the whole building being put together

grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

In him,

you are also being built together

for God's dwelling in the Spirit.

Let's pray together.

God, I pray that you would speak to us

from Ephesians 2,

the latter part of that chapter.

I pray that you would drive this home,

that you are a God of peace.

You are a God of uniting.

You are a God of tearing down the walls,

reaching across the lines.

And we have benefited so greatly from that.

And it's in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

You may be seated.

Who we are in Christ,

our collective identity.

So,

let's look at it.

Our collective identity.

Sorry, y'all.

I don't know why it's like that.

I think there was some weird way I made the slide,

and you know,

that's on me.

But you're just gonna have to,

you know,

look a little closer.

Like,

what is that again?

Our collective identity.

All right?

This is who we are together.

Now,

this is not

our collective identity.

This is not who we are together.

These are adversaries,

right?

What do we have here on the left?

Come on, y'all.

Let's get a little more audience participation.

This is the talkback time,

okay?

On the left,

what do we have?

Democrats.

There you go.

On the right,

we have

Republicans.

That's right.

Some of the kids

who maybe haven't studied

and learned these party animals,

so to speak,

they're looking at it like,

what are they talking about?

That's a donkey

and an elephant.

Very patriotic looking

and angry at each other.

Well,

there you go.

That's our country,

right?

We divide.

We pit ourselves

against one another,

and throughout the time,

Democrats and Republicans

have even stood

for different things

throughout the years,

and so,

you know,

a hundred years ago,

you might have,

if you call yourself

Republican today,

who knows,

you might have been

a Democrat back then.

Man can change his mind

about things,

but what he doesn't seem

to change his mind about

is arguing with others.

That's what we continue to do.

Regardless of what we think,

we find somebody

who doesn't think like us,

and we argue against them,

and if we don't find,

if we don't have somebody

near and close

who disagrees with us,

we'll go out

and find somebody

who disagrees with us,

and that's what

the Internet's for.

If you were wondering

why the Internet was invented,

it's a platform

for disagreement

and fighting,

so,

and it fulfills

its purpose very well.

Obviously,

there's a little sarcasm

in there,

but there's some less,

you know,

I don't know,

less intense.

That's pretty intense

right there.

Rivalries out there.

Astros and Rangers,

we got any Astros fans

in the house?

Woo!

That are willing

to identify

as Astro fans right now?

How about the Rangers fans?

Let's go!

Yeah!

The,

sorry,

I shouldn't just say Rangers.

I should always say

world champion Rangers.

There you go.

Anybody actually

go to that parade?

No.

Yeah.

I was in Dallas

on the day

of the parade,

and I consciously

chose not to go.

It's like,

look,

I love my Rangers,

but no.

That was a madhouse.

About 700,000 people,

I think,

gathered down there.

Look,

Astros have had

a great run.

They've won

a couple of World Series,

so we're going to have

this rivalry

for years to come.

But,

you know,

we're pitted

against one another

in the same division.

We'll play each other.

How about this one?

Red River rivalry?

Got any Sooner fans

in here?

Thank God.

Got any Longhorn fans?

Let's go.

Come on.

Yes.

Y'all got us this year,

but overall,

we've had a far better season,

so let's see what happens.

That's the thing.

You never know

what's going to happen

in these rivalries.

People get up for them.

They feel emotional about them.

You know?

Oklahoma turned around

and lost to Kansas

and somebody else

that they shouldn't have

lost to right after that.

So,

clearly,

Texas was the better team,

but why did they lose?

Why did they lose that game?

Because it's the Red River rivalry

because you never know

what's going to happen.

One team could be ranked

in the top five

and the other one

have a losing record

and the losing record

comes in and wins that game

because everybody gets emotional.

They get worked up.

They get hyped up

and they go out

and play better

than they usually would otherwise.

And that's what happens sometimes

with these rivalries

because we get emotional about it.

We get passionate about it.

We pit ourselves

against one another.

How about this one?

We're not going to talk

about what happened this year,

but we'll get them next year,

all right?

So,

don't worry about it.

But y'all understand

we've got these rivalries.

We draw lines.

We draw dividing lines.

It's what we do.

We'll always do it.

I skipped one

and I want to get to it.

From the history of our country,

we did it.

We drew dividing lines.

We fought a war over it.

It's who we are as people.

And so,

man draws dividing lines.

God erases them.

God erases them.

You know what divides us ultimately?

Sin.

Sin is what divides us ultimately.

Now,

we can have fun

and we can choose

different sports teams

and root against the other one

and cheer for ours.

But there are very real fractures,

very real dividing lines

in our country,

across our world,

and sin is the cause.

100% of the time.

God created no dividing lines

in the Garden of Eden.

But sin divided us.

Sin divided Cain and Abel.

Sin divided all these countries

that have gone to war.

Sin divided the Gentiles

and the Jews.

Sin divided those who would follow God

and those who would oppose God.

Sin divided all these lines.

And God steps in and says,

I am the answer to the division.

I am the solution.

So,

number one,

excluded.

Excluded.

What we are without Jesus.

We read about this in verse 11.

So then,

remember that at one time

you were Gentiles in the flesh,

called the uncircumcised,

quote on quote.

There's two different groups here.

The uncircumcised,

the circumcised.

Without diving into the,

you know,

medical procedures of all that,

back then the Jews

were the only ones

who practiced circumcision.

Which nowadays

happens right after a baby is born

and is common practice

across the United States

and around the world

because they see the health benefits

in that.

But this procedure

divided people.

You were part of the circumcised Jews

or the uncircumcised Philistines

or Gentiles.

And so,

that was done in the flesh

by human hands.

But,

at that time,

there was a real exclusion happening.

There was a real dividing line.

There were those

who followed Jesus

and there were those

who were without Christ.

Excluded,

verse 12 says.

Excluded from the citizenship

of Israel.

Foreigners to the covenants

of promise.

God made all these promises

in the Old Testament.

He made all these covenants.

He said,

I will be with you.

I will be your God.

You will be my people.

And those of us Gentiles

were excluded from that.

Foreigners to that.

Without hope

and without God.

Now,

we had all kinds of things

that we would call God.

Throughout time,

Gentiles have had all sorts of things

that they would call God.

They'll make up their own.

They'll build idols.

They'll make their own passions

and goals

and desires

and the objects

of their love

and affection.

They'll raise them

to the status of God.

So we'll do all kinds of things

but in reality,

we are without God.

So,

we were excluded.

Ephesians 4.18,

a couple chapters later,

it says,

they're darkened

in their understanding,

excluded

from the life

of God

because of the ignorance

that's in them,

the hardness

of their hearts.

That is a reminder

of who we are

without God.

We are ignorant

and have hard hearts.

That's us.

God is the only one

that can impart

true wisdom

and understanding

to us.

God is the only one

that can soften our hearts.

God's the only one

that can make us

nice.

God's the only one

that can make us

lovable.

God's the only one

that can make us

good and righteous.

And so,

apart from him,

we are excluded

from God's life.

Why were we excluded?

Excluded.

We were without Christ,

without Jesus.

He's the answer.

He's the Savior.

He's the only way.

So if you don't have him,

you're excluded.

We are without citizenship.

We had citizenship

of the world,

but we were without

citizenship

in God's kingdom.

All throughout the parable,

you see Jesus

constantly making reference

to the kingdom of God.

Right?

Jesus says,

the kingdom of God

is like this,

and he tells a parable.

The kingdom of God

is like this.

He came to build

his kingdom on earth,

but we were excluded

from that kingdom

until he made a way

to have citizenship.

We've got some people

who recently gained

citizenship

to the United States

right down front here.

Yeah.

That's exciting,

isn't it?

I didn't mean

to call him out

this morning at all.

I'm trying to embarrass him,

but I'm on the spot.

But that is such

an exciting thing

when you gain citizenship

that you're seeking.

But my goodness,

it doesn't,

it pales in comparison

to gaining citizenship

into God's heavenly kingdom.

And we're excluded

from that,

apart from Christ.

We're without hope.

We have no hope.

Then verse 12,

that's what it said,

without hope

and without God.

And those two

are linked together.

Man, if you have,

if you don't have God,

you have no hope.

That's why there's

so much suicide out there.

There's why there's

so much depression out there.

That's why there's

so much hopelessness out there.

That's why there's

so much anger.

People lashing out

because they don't have

a life.

You ever heard somebody

tell you to get a life?

I've had people tell me

to get a life before.

We have a life.

We have something

to live for.

We have a reason

to keep going

if we have God.

If we have no God,

then what's this

ultimately about?

Who ultimately gets to say

what's right or wrong?

Who ultimately gets to say

what our lives

should be about?

Unless God is real,

God is true,

God exists,

and He's here for us.

So we're excluded

without Christ,

without citizenship,

without hope,

and without God.

But that's not

where He leaves us.

Number two,

reconciled.

This is what Jesus

does for us.

Verse 13,

now in Christ Jesus,

you who were far away

have been brought near

by the blood of Christ.

Okay?

So that's what Jesus

does for us.

All the way down

through verse 18,

He talks about how

He can reconcile us.

How does He do it?

Verse 14,

the second part here,

it says He tears down walls.

He tore down

the dividing wall

of hostility.

This is what man does.

Man builds up walls.

We build up walls

around our own hearts,

right?

And we don't let people in.

We build up walls

between countries,

and we don't let people in.

We build up walls

around ourselves

and our houses,

and we don't let people in.

We build up privacy fences.

We put up walls

everywhere we go.

Why?

Because we don't trust people.

Sometimes,

a lot of times,

with good reason.

Right?

But God is there

to tear down walls.

He's not saying

you need to go home

and tear down your fence

and open the door

to your house

and say,

everybody come on in.

That's a good way

to lose all your stuff

and maybe worse.

But,

hey,

Floyd,

I'm going to switch

to this handheld.

Sorry, man.

This thing's not staying put.

Check, check.

Y'all hear me?

There we go.

All right,

this will work.

This will work a lot better.

So,

God

tears down those walls

that we build.

He did it with sin.

He tore down

the wall

through his death

on the cross.

Now,

he didn't just go

and say,

sin's okay.

The things you have done

are okay now.

I'm changing the rules

and you're no longer

in trouble.

That's not what he did.

Sin is wicked.

Sin is terrible.

And something had

to be done about it.

A punishment

had to be made.

A sacrifice

had to be made.

Jesus made that sacrifice.

He took the punishment.

So,

then he said,

I can tear down

the wall now.

So,

now you can get

to God

because of me.

Jesus abolishes

legalism.

Verse 15,

he made of no effect

the law

consisting of commands

and expressed

in regulations.

You understand

what he's talking

about there?

All those

Old Testament commands,

many of which

God gave to

humanity himself.

He gave them

to his people

and established them

and then Jesus

abolished

the legalism.

That's what was needed

for that time

to show us

how freedom

in Christ

would look.

How exciting

and wonderful

it would be

when grace

replaced

the law.

You and I

cannot exist

by the law.

You and I

can't keep the law.

We can't follow it.

So,

I don't know about you

but I'm a pretty good person.

You're not good enough.

If you fail the point,

if you fail the law

in one point,

you've failed it all.

If you've broken

the law

in one area,

you've broken it all.

You're guilty

and you deserve

punishment

for your sin.

So,

Jesus said,

that's not the way

to God

and we don't need

to operate

that way

as people

of God.

Sometimes,

Christians have done

a poor job of that.

Sometimes,

we've carried on

legalistic practices

as though

the law

was still

the way

to God.

Sometimes,

we'll preach

grace.

We'll preach

salvation by grace

through faith

in Jesus

and yet,

we don't actually

live that way

where that grace

speaks louder

than the laws

we inflict upon people.

So,

we must be

very careful

as a church,

as the people of God,

to be people

of grace,

people of love,

people of compassion,

people of mercy

because that's

how God treats us.

I grew up

around a lot

of churches

in kind of a movement

that went really far

into legalism.

You know,

there was only

one version

of the Bible

you could use.

There was only

one type of music

that was acceptable.

There was only

one type of dress

that was acceptable.

You know,

you take it

as far as you want

to go,

but we kept

moving the needle

on what was

acceptable

in God's eyes

regardless of

whether God

actually said

anything about it

in the Bible.

And that's not

the Jesus

that came

to seek

and save

the lost.

That's not

the Jesus

that abolished

legalism.

Instead,

that Jesus

preached peace.

Preached peace.

That first part

of verse 14.

He is

our peace.

And then jump

down to verse 17.

He came

and proclaimed

the good news

of peace

to you

who were far away

and peace

to those

who were near.

That's what

Jesus does.

He came

to preach peace.

We're coming

into the Christmas

season.

We're going

to sing songs

all about

the Prince

of Peace,

about how

Jesus came

to bring peace

on earth.

Jesus

didn't come

just to bring

peace on earth.

The truth is

there's never

ultimately going

to be peace

on earth.

Jesus came

to bring peace

to the earth

through him.

He is the only

way to have

peace on this

earth.

But we're not

going to stay

here.

Eventually,

we're going

to get to go

up and be

with him

forever in

heaven.

So yes,

he said,

I came

to bring

peace on

earth and

have good

will toward

men,

but that's

only found

in him.

And someday,

this earth

will be

destroyed.

We read

about it

in the book

of Revelation.

Lanny's

teaching about

it on Wednesday

nights in the

book of Revelation,

but someday,

this earth's

going to go

away.

God's going

to start

over with

a new

heaven and

a new

earth,

and there

will be

peace.

But until

then,

he is the

Prince of

Peace for

us.

He preaches

the gospel

of peace,

and he's

given us

that gospel

of peace

to go

preach to

others.

Isn't it

good that

we have

a message

of peace?

You know,

we're not

the terrorists

who are going

around trying

to recruit

people to

a message

of war

and hate.

We have

a message

of peace.

We have

a message

of love.

We have

a message

of grace.

That's what

we get

to go tell

people about.

The good

news.

That's why

we call

it the gospel.

That's why

we call

it the good

news.

It's not

bad news

you're going

to be

a way

out of it.

You're

just giving

them a way

out of it.

You're giving

them a way

of escape.

You're giving

them a way

of deliverance

and freedom.

And Jesus

gives access

to God.

Verse 18,

for through

him we

both,

Israelites,

Gentiles,

the people

that God

chose and

all the rest

of us,

we both

have access

in one

spirit,

the Holy

Spirit,

to the

Father.

So,

he gives

access to

God.

Now,

there we

go.

I want

to read

this to

you guys.

James

Denny was

a Scottish

theologian.

He says,

the cross,

the cross

of Jesus

is the

meeting

place not

only of

God and

man,

but of

all races,

all conditions

of men

with each

other.

There's

neither

Greek nor

Jew,

male nor

female,

bond,

meaning

slaves,

nor free.

The cross

is the

basis of

a universal

religion and

has in it

the hope

of a universal

peace.

You understand

that?

Of all the

Christian truths

which are

confessed in

words,

this is the

one.

The one that

the cross is

the basis of

a universal

religion has

this idea of

the universal

peace.

this is the

Christian truth

which is most

outrageously

denied

indeed.

There's not a

Christian church

in the world

which believes

heartily in

the atonement.

You understand

we're saying

the atonement,

Jesus' death

on the cross

which took

the place

for us

in that

atonement

as the

extinction

of privilege

and the

leveling up

of all

men

to the

same

possibility

of life

in Christ

to the

same

calling

to be

saints.

The spirit

of privilege

if you're not

tracking with me

yet,

watch this

last sentence.

The spirit

of privilege

in spite

of the

cross

is obstinately

rooted

everywhere

even among

Christians.

It's calling

us out a little

bit.

Okay?

You understand

what he's

saying?

We have

this idea

of privilege

privilege

just like

the Jews

had

when they

were the

circumcised

and they're

looking down

on everybody

who's not

circumcised.

Paul deals

with it

all throughout

the New Testament

letters to

those early

churches.

You and I

have the same

spirit of

privilege

that puts

us up

above everybody

else and looks

down our noses

at everybody

else.

Why?

Because we

draw dividing

lines.

It's what we

do.

We love our

rivalries.

We love our

this is our

tribe,

this is our

crowd and

you can't

sit with

us.

That's what

we do.

And God

is God

continually

having to

remind us

that that's

not who

he is.

He tears

down those

walls.

He blurs

those dividing

lines.

And so it's

absolutely

essential for

the people

of God to

be reconciled

to God and

to one another.

And that's

what we come

to on the

last point

here,

unified.

What Jesus

saved us to

become.

We are to

become unified

in him.

Because he

tears down

the walls,

because he

has reconciled

us to

himself,

we now have

this common

bond,

which is more

important than

any other

division that

we find between

ourselves.

Our common

bond and

reconciled with

God is what

can unify us

despite our

differences.

promises.

So,

what are we

talking about?

We're

citizens of

the same

kingdom.

Citizens of

the same

kingdom.

Look at

verse 19.

So then,

you are no

longer citizens

with the

saints,

but members

of God's

household.

So,

we live

together,

okay?

We live

together in

the household

of God.

Now,

sure,

we all have

our own

houses that

we go to.

we don't

all wake up

in the morning

and see each

other at the

breakfast table.

But we are

all members

of the same

household,

and so these

truths should

bind us

together because

we realize we

are citizens of

the same

kingdom,

not an

earthly kingdom,

a heavenly

kingdom.

And that is

far more

important than

the earthly

kingdom.

today,

we have

people that

went and

literally paid

the ultimate

sacrifice to

keep us free

here in

America.

But you

know what the

ultimate example

of that is?

Jesus paid the

ultimate sacrifice

to give us

freedom that we

could never

achieve and no

one else could

ever find for

us.

No one else

could ever pay

that penalty.

No one else

could ever make

that level of

sacrifice for

us, but

Jesus made

it.

That is what

gives us

freedom at the

spiritual level

in the heavenly

kingdom, not

this earthly

kingdom.

So we're

citizens of

the same

kingdom.

Philippians

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3

and verse 20

talks about

that.

Our

citizenship,

lest we

forget, is

in heaven.

And we

eagerly wait

for a savior

from there,

the Lord

Jesus Christ.

You know, I

fly my flag on

4th of July.

I'm proud to be

an American, and

I got to see

Lee Greenwood

seen that live

at a Dallas

Cowboys game, and

that was so

much fun.

Y'all ever

heard Lee Greenwood

sing proud to be

an American?

All right, I'm

just making sure

you're looking at

me like I don't

know what you're

talking about.

So I love it.

I'm patriotic.

Thank God every

day that I got to

be born in

America.

There are people

who might walk

into our church

that didn't get to

be born in

America, and they

don't have that

bond with us.

But you know what

bond we do have?

God's love.

Our citizenship is

in the same

kingdom.

Our citizenship is

in heaven.

So we thank God

for our earthly

citizenship, and we

try to be as good

a citizens as we

can in our earthly

countries, remembering

that our real

citizenship is in

heaven.

And someday, when

earthly nations will

have passed, God

will still remain.

Heaven will still

remain.

And our citizenship

will be there.

And so we thank

him for that.

2 Timothy 1 and

verse 9, he has

saved us.

He's called us with

a holy calling, not

according to our

works, but according

to his own purpose

and grace, which was

given to us in Christ

Jesus before time

began.

He's called us to a

higher calling, a

higher plane.

He's got his own

purpose for us, and

we're members of the

same family.

Verse 19, we saw

that.

We're no longer

foreigners and

strangers.

We're members of

God's household.

Now, what is

something that is

always true about

family?

Y'all start throwing

some things at me.

What's that?

Always get along, he

says tongue-in-cheek,

sarcastically, and

immediately his kids

say no.

That's funny.

No, families don't

always get along, do

they.

That's right.

They're there for

each other.

Families can feud

within themselves, but

they sure will unite

against anybody else

trying to attack them,

right?

That's my brother to

fight with.

You can't fight with

him.

We are members of the

same family.

I'm trying to teach

Austin a bow right now,

and they're home sick,

so I'm not going to, I

can pick on them, and

you know, it's fine.

But I'm trying to teach

them right now, you

guys are brothers, you're

two years apart, you've

got to have each other's

backs.

You've got to have each

other's backs.

My brother was six years

older than I am, well,

still is.

He always had my back, and

I always had his back.

And that was just, you

know, we had that

relationship.

And I want my kids to

have the same thing.

And the truth is, you

and I should have the

same thing with each

other.

We should have each

other's backs.

We should pray for each

other.

We should not be out

there to undermine each

other.

Yes, thank you.

God bless you.

I know.

It's, I had a cold for

like a week, and now

this cough just won't go

away.

Pardon me for a

second.

Don't look at me.

I feel self-conscious.

All right.

Here we go.

Thank you.

I'm going to wet the

whistle.

But we are members of

the same family.

We've got to remember

that.

And so we must love each

other like family.

Understand there's going

to be disagreements.

We're going to feud

sometimes.

But don't let it get to

the point of breaking up

the family.

You understand?

At some point,

somebody's got to humble

themselves and go and say,

you know what?

I was wrong.

I got to make this right.

I have to do that.

I've had to do that a

couple times in the last

few weeks.

It happens.

I got to do that with my

own family.

I got to do that with

this family.

We've got to do that

with one another.

God's household is the

church.

1 Timothy 3 reminds us of

this.

God's household is the

church of the living God,

the pillar and foundation

of the truth.

You understand that last

part there?

The pillar and foundation

of the truth?

It means the church is

really important.

The church is essential

to the community.

If we don't have a strong

church in the community,

then the community will

suffer because the pillar

and foundation of the

truth is crumbling.

So we've got to be a

strong pillar that can't

be broken.

We've got to have a strong

foundation that can't be

shaken of the truth.

Who's the truth?

Who's the truth?

Jesus.

He said, I am the way, the

truth, and the life, right?

So we are the expression of

Jesus on earth.

Again, that's a terrifying

thought, right?

If you and I are the ones who

are supposed to express Jesus

on the earth, we do that so

poorly sometimes.

It's no wonder the world around

us is going to hell in a

handbasket, so to speak.

But when we are a strong

pillar and foundation as the

church, then the truth is

able to go out and be

received and make a

difference and change lives.

So we must remember that we

are part of the same family,

part of God's household.

That's our church.

Romans 12, verse 5.

Romans 12:5

We who are many are one body

in Christ and individually

members of one another.

It doesn't just say that we're

members of God's body.

It says we're members of one

another.

Man, God just takes it a step

further.

He says you've got to get along

because you are members of one

another.

If there is strife within the

body where the members are

fighting with each other, then

the whole body suffers.

And then the whole community

suffers.

And then the whole county

suffers.

And the whole state suffers.

And the whole nation suffers.

And the whole world suffers.

And you start to see why

there's so much turmoil and

strife because often the

church drops the ball.

Ultimately, we are the light

in the dark world.

So when the light shines

brightly, people are drawn to

it.

When it's dim or when it's kind

of flickering, it's not as

effective.

And when it turns out, the

community is lost.

So we pray that God would not

extinguish our light, that we

would get along, that we would

be members of one another,

united as God's household.

We are stones in the same

temple.

Verse 20 through verse 22.

Verse 20, we're built on the

foundation of the apostles and

prophets with Christ Jesus

himself as the cornerstone.

In Christ Jesus, the whole

building being put together

grows into a holy temple in the

Lord.

In him, you also are being built

together for God's dwelling in

the spirit.

He's not just working on me.

He's working on all of us

together.

Okay?

They couldn't have said together

more times than they did.

It's like every sentence had the

word together in it.

We are being built together.

We're stones in the same temple.

So we're supposed to fit.

God's building us into what he

wants us to be and he's

building us together.

So we are stones in the same

temple.

Look at 1 Peter chapter 2

1 Peter 2:4

verses 4 and 5.

As you come to him, Jesus, a

living stone.

He is the living stone we're

talking about here.

There's this typology that we're

reading here.

Jesus is the living stone

rejected by people but chosen

and honored by God.

Then, verse 5, view yourselves

as living stones.

We're also living stones like

Jesus.

A spiritual house are being

built to be a holy priesthood.

God is building us together into

this beautiful spiritual house.

But we've got to fit together.

Okay?

If we get all bent out of shape,

then the stones don't fit.

And the house doesn't get built.

So, what's our takeaway?

We should daily trade our earthly

identities for our heavenly

identities.

That's our takeaway.

Daily trade my earthly identity

for my heavenly identity.

That is a daily action.

It's a daily realization.

Adopting my heavenly identity.

Why?

Why do we have to remind ourselves

daily?

Because we're trapped in this body.

We're trapped in this flesh.

We're not going to come by it

naturally.

You're not going to wake up

and be filled with the Spirit.

You'll have the Spirit of God

if you put your faith in Jesus

and are His child.

He's there.

But you've got to consciously

turn to Him

and say,

I'm taking on my heavenly identity

today

because the people around me

don't need earthly me.

Right?

They need heavenly me.

I can always tell

when my family

is getting earthly Sam

as opposed to heavenly Sam.

And they usually suffer

a little bit for that.

I can always tell

when I'm dealing with people

in my earthly self

as opposed to my heavenly self.

And then I've got to go

make that right.

And you've got to do

the same thing.

So we must daily trade

our earthly identities

for our heavenly identities.

Real quick and we're done.

What does this look like?

Identity switch.

Okay?

Identity switch.

Here we go.

I give up earthly privileges.

I give up earthly privileges.

That's what that guy

was talking about,

James Denny,

that Scottish theologian.

You know,

we carry around this idea

of privilege with us.

And I'm not even referencing

the, you know,

this,

the woke ideology out there

of white privilege

and, you know,

that kind of stuff.

That's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about

this Christian privilege

that comes into our minds.

This Christian privilege

of I'm above that.

I'm a good person

because I go to church.

I've been going to church

my whole life.

I'm a deacon.

I give my tithe.

You know,

we get this idea

of earthly privilege

in our heads.

We've got to get that out

and remind ourselves

that we are

who God says we are.

We are wicked,

evil sinners

on our way to hell.

But God came in

and rescued us

and changed us.

And now the only good in us

is because of him.

So now we are

simply stones

being built

into the building

that he wants us to be.

We are lights

shining in the darkness.

We give up our privileges

and we take on

his responsibility,

his mission for us,

his purpose for us.

I give up earthly preferences.

Number two,

I give up earthly preferences.

Okay?

You might feel one way about it.

What did we say

back in our series

on the church?

Don't let secondary things

become primary.

Anybody remember that?

Good.

Don't let secondary things

become primary.

We've got to at some point

give up our earthly preferences

out of preference

for others.

Say, you know,

this is what I would prefer,

but that's not

what really matters.

What really matters

is we fit together.

We are unified

and we can go forward.

It doesn't matter

if I win.

I don't have to win

as long as Jesus wins.

I give up earthly preferences

and then I give up

earthly priorities.

Your priority

about the music

might be something.

Your priority

about how the church looks

might be something.

Your priority

about how you spend

your time

might be one way.

Your priority

about what you spend

your money on

might be one way.

God,

I can tell you,

I can promise you,

is here to rearrange

your priorities.

God will do that.

The closer you walk

with God,

he will give you

new priorities.

And if you give up

your earthly identity

and you take on

your heavenly identity,

your priorities

will change.

Alright?

But they'll change

for the better.

God will make something

so much more beautiful

out of your life

through that reordering

of your priorities

than you ever could.

I can promise that.

I can testify that.

He's done it in mine.

And then I give up

earthly passions.

I give up

earthly passions.

You might be

passionate about something

that God doesn't want

you to be passionate about.

You might be

dominated or controlled

by the lusts

of your flesh.

You might have

worldly sinful appetites

that are driving you

away from God.

And that's a constant

battle going on

between the flesh

and the spirit

in your life.

When you take on

your heavenly identity,

you give up

those earthly passions.

Say,

God,

I love how it makes me feel.