Sermon
Who We Are in Christ
Publisher transcript
Transcript
-
Well, good morning, church. We are continuing our series in the book of Ephesians today.
-
So if you'll take the word of God with me and turn to the book of Ephesians, we are
-
completing chapter one today, Lord willing, beginning in verse 15, Ephesians chapter one
-
and verse 15. As you turn there, I want to remind you of a little bit of background on
-
the book. Ephesians has two themes. The first half of the book talks about who we are. The
-
second half, how we live, who we are, and how we live. Much of our content from this
-
series was drawn from the Christ-centered exposition series of commentaries, a book on Ephesians
-
authored by Pastor Tony Merida. And the background of the book of Ephesians is it was written by
-
Apostle Paul around the year AD 62. And the setting, he was under house arrest and Roman
-
imprisonment far away. But he was very familiar with this church in Ephesus. He had been a
-
pastor with them for about three years. You can read that account in Acts chapter 19.
Acts 19 chapter mention
-
The breakdown of the book, again, chapters one through three, who we are in Christ, our identity.
-
And actually this corresponds well with what the youth are studying on Wednesday nights.
-
They have a series going on studying our identity in Christ. And that is exciting when that overlaps
-
with what's going on here on Sundays. The second half of the book talks about how we live for Christ.
-
So who we are and how we live. Part one, we're in right now, who we are in Christ. So today we'll
-
be reading from primarily the Christian standard Bible, Ephesians chapter one and verse 15. If you're
-
able to, would you join me in standing? If you need to remain seated, that's fine. But if you're able
-
to join me in standing, we'll read together Ephesians chapter one and verse 15. This is why,
-
since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I never stop giving
-
thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
-
the glorious Father, would give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge of him.
-
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his
-
calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the
-
immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe according to the mighty working of his strength.
-
verse 20. He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his
-
right hand in the heavens, far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion and every title given,
-
not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And he subjected everything under his feet
-
and appointed him, Jesus, as head over everything for the church. Remember that? Church is not about me.
-
Church is about Jesus, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way. You may be seated.
-
Lord, I thank you for this time. I thank you that you've given us this letter to this church in Ephesus that is still 100% relevant
-
for our church in Henrietta. I ask that you would move in our hearts this morning. Let the light of your word reveal
-
the truth about us and help us to walk out of these doors today, knowing you more intimately. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
-
All right, this chapter
-
is broken down to two sections. We covered
-
two weeks ago, the first half and the second half here.
-
Man, that first half was powerful.
-
Absolutely powerful.
-
It's really hard for Paul to improve on what he did in that first chapter, the first half of the first chapter of Ephesians,
-
talking about who we are in Christ, the redemption that we have through his blood, the inheritance that we have received,
-
that we were chosen by God.
-
And being chosen by God motivates us then
-
to love him, to worship him, to give him praise.
-
And now he closes this chapter with a prayer.
-
A prayer for the church.
-
A magnificent prayer
-
that you and I can latch on to
-
and be grateful
-
that this is in the scriptures
-
meant for our edification today.
-
So what is he talking about in this prayer?
-
Let me ask you this question.
-
Does anybody know who these people are?
-
Good guess.
-
It took us a minute to even identify the type of jerseys, but we got there.
-
These are arguably the top five soccer players in the world right now,
-
arguably the best at their positions, according to the main soccer publications out there.
-
I dare say that if any one of these guys walked into our church this morning,
-
there's not one person in this room who would have a clue who they are.
-
However, if they went in just about anywhere else in the world,
-
they would be mobbed.
-
Paparazzi would be following them everywhere.
-
There'd be crowds thronging them
-
because those people know these guys.
-
These guys are worldwide celebrities,
-
except in the United States.
-
We're the only ones who don't play football with our feet.
-
And so there is a little disconnect there
-
between knowing who these people are
-
and knowing who these people are.
-
Now take a minute and let's hear some names, all right?
-
Who do we have up here?
-
Troy Aikman,
-
Roger Staubach,
-
Tony Romo,
-
Zach Prescott.
-
My wife even knows who a couple of these guys were, man.
-
Listen,
-
if any one of these guys walked into our building this morning,
-
we might have to cancel the service
-
because y'all would be so starstruck, right?
-
Who am I kidding?
-
I would be too.
-
Yeah, you walk into a town in Texas
-
and throw some Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks up there,
-
absolutely people know who they are.
-
For those of you who didn't have a clue,
-
those are Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks, okay?
-
It's all in the context of what you care about,
-
what your interests are,
-
what you spend your time learning about,
-
and around the world, soccer is king.
-
But here in Texas,
-
the Dallas Cowboys are king.
-
They may not always be king on the scoreboard on Sundays,
-
all right?
-
But we're going to win today,
-
and they kick at noon,
-
so we need to hurry up.
-
But y'all don't rush off.
-
We got to help get ready for Drunkertreat, okay?
-
So let's wrap this puppy up.
-
All right, here we go.
-
So the idea here is
-
we need to reflect and consider
-
how well we know God
-
because there are certain things
-
that we know very well.
-
And a lot of it depends on context.
-
And the truth is,
-
how well you know God
-
depends on how much time
-
you've spent studying Him,
-
how much time you've spent with Him,
-
how much time you've spent learning about Him,
-
how much of a nerd you are about God.
-
How many Star Wars nerds we got in here?
-
Yes?
-
Yes?
-
Some of you, like, hesitantly.
-
I'm not proud of it, but yes.
-
I did.
-
I did say yes.
-
I did.
-
Star Trek?
-
Anybody Star Trek?
-
You got some Trekkies?
-
Wow.
-
Wow.
-
The age of some of those, like,
-
okay.
-
Some younger people who are Star Trek fans.
-
All right.
-
What else?
-
Marvel?
-
DC?
-
Marvel and DC, Jessica.
-
Wow.
-
Okay.
-
Amazing.
-
We're bridging gaps here in this church, man.
-
Well, listen.
-
How many of us nerd out
-
for holy God
-
as much as we do
-
for these other areas of entertainment
-
in our lives?
-
Now, look.
-
I can tell you every single member
-
of the Dallas Cowboys this year.
-
I love them to death.
-
I love my Texas Rangers.
-
Let's not talk about last night.
-
But how much of our time,
-
how much of our interest
-
is spent knowing more and more
-
about these things
-
that matter in the here and now,
-
but in the scope of eternity,
-
they don't matter a bit.
-
They don't matter at all.
-
But we oftentimes
-
know far more about that
-
than we do
-
the one who bled and died for us,
-
rose from the grave victoriously,
-
and offers life-changing power
-
to us every day.
-
So there is a revelation
-
involved in knowing God.
-
Let's look back at verse 17
-
of chapter 1.
-
Verse 17 of Ephesians chapter 1.
Ephesians 1 chapter mention
-
I pray that the God
-
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
-
the glorious Father,
-
would give you
-
the spirit of wisdom
-
and revelation
-
in the knowledge
-
of Him.
-
That you would get
-
to know God better,
-
and then you would experience
-
this divine revelation
-
that comes with knowing God.
-
What are we talking about
-
when we say revelation?
-
That God reveals things to you.
-
God reveals the truth
-
about Himself.
-
God reveals His true nature.
-
Do you realize
-
that if you grow up in church,
-
oftentimes,
-
you can get a distorted view
-
of who God is?
-
You understand that?
-
You can all of a sudden realize,
-
especially growing up
-
in Baptist churches,
-
that God is not just
-
a bunch of rules.
-
Because sometimes
-
that is what we portray,
-
and that is what we emphasize,
-
that if you do this,
-
if you check these boxes,
-
if you live according
-
to how we say
-
you ought to live,
-
then you are good,
-
you are fine,
-
and God is happy with you.
-
That is not an accurate view
-
of God.
-
God knows the truth
-
about you.
-
He knows the truth
-
about me.
-
He knows we are
-
far worse
-
than the image
-
that we portray
-
on Sunday morning
-
in church.
-
Whether you're standing
-
in a choir
-
or sitting out here,
-
we try to portray
-
the best version
-
of ourselves,
-
don't we?
-
Of course we do.
-
God knows that
-
you're not really that.
-
He knows that
-
those people,
-
young people
-
who post on Instagram,
-
their lives aren't
-
really like that.
-
They took that picture
-
25 times
-
to get it just right
-
to portray
-
this certain image.
-
And we do that
-
in our day-to-day lives.
-
When people are coming
-
over to our house,
-
what do we do?
-
We try to straighten
-
it up real quick.
-
We try to clean it.
-
We go,
-
oh man,
-
I've got to throw
-
the dishes
-
in the dishwasher.
-
I've got to go
-
make the bed real quick.
-
Or at least close
-
the door to the bedroom
-
so they don't go in there.
-
We try to portray
-
an image
-
that we have it
-
all together
-
when God knows
-
we don't have it
-
all together.
-
We are a mess.
-
But God is revealed
-
when we get to know
-
Him better,
-
we realize
-
those aren't the things
-
that He prioritizes.
-
Remember what we talked
-
about in our series
-
on the church?
-
Don't make the
-
secondary stuff
-
primary.
-
Primary
-
is what God
-
really cares about.
-
He cares about you.
-
He cares about your heart.
-
He cares about rescuing you.
-
He cares about changing you.
-
He cares about saving you.
-
He cares about redeeming
-
your life.
-
So there is a revelation
-
in knowing God.
-
Now man,
-
we care about how you
-
have it all together.
-
Mankind,
-
our fellow neighbor,
-
we are judging.
-
We talk back.
-
We talk bad about you
-
behind your back.
-
That's what people do.
-
God doesn't do that.
-
So we reveal
-
the real God
-
when we get to know
-
Him better.
-
How do you get to know
-
God better?
-
You spend time with Him.
-
You pray.
-
You talk to Him.
-
You actually spend time
-
in your day
-
talking to the one
-
who wants to hear from you.
-
You actually spend time
-
reading the instruction
-
manual for life
-
that He left behind here.
-
and we've got Him
-
so nicely bound
-
in leather and all that.
-
That is God.
-
He's revealed Himself
-
to us.
-
I'm not talking about
-
getting some vision
-
because you ate too much
-
Mexican food the night before.
-
I'm talking about
-
real,
-
genuine learning
-
of who God is.
-
He's told us exactly
-
about His nature.
-
He's told us everything
-
we need to know
-
about Him.
-
and it's all there
-
for the taking.
-
And God reveals
-
Himself to us.
-
You know what else?
-
He reveals us
-
in Him.
-
It's like a mirror.
-
When we look at God,
-
we see how fake we are.
-
When we look at how real
-
and genuine His love is,
-
we see how poor of an excuse
-
our love is.
-
And then we're just astounded.
-
Why would God love me?
-
I'm a mess.
-
I can't measure up.
-
That's what grace is all about.
-
That's what salvation
-
is all about.
-
That's what God
-
is all about.
-
So we need Holy Spirit glasses.
-
We need Holy Spirit glasses.
-
These are not
-
rose-colored glasses.
-
This is not looking through life
-
that everything's okay.
-
It's realizing
-
that everything is not okay,
-
but it can be well
-
with my soul
-
despite all the mess around me,
-
despite all the mess
-
within my own heart.
-
It can still be well
-
with my soul
-
because God loves me,
-
He cares,
-
He sacrificed everything,
-
and He wants and desires
-
above everything else
-
a relationship with me
-
because that glorifies Him.
-
That brings glory to Him.
-
So we have an opportunity
-
to worship our God,
-
praise Him,
-
bring honor and glory
-
to His name every day
-
by working on our relationship
-
with Him,
-
seeing us as He sees us,
-
seeing Him as He truly is.
-
We can only do that
-
by looking through
-
these Holy Spirit glasses.
-
So if you have put your faith
-
in Christ,
-
repented of your sins,
-
turned from them
-
and turned to Him
-
as your Savior
-
to become His child,
-
then you have
-
the Holy Spirit with you.
-
And the Holy Spirit
-
can reveal
-
who God is
-
and who we are
-
to us.
-
2 Corinthians chapter 4
2 Corinthians 4 chapter mention
-
kind of talks about this.
-
We are not proclaiming ourselves,
-
but Jesus Christ
-
as Lord.
-
God, who said,
-
let light shine out of darkness,
-
has shown in our hearts
-
to give the light
-
of the knowledge
-
of God's glory
-
in the face
-
of Jesus Christ.
-
That is a revealing light.
-
It is an illuminating light
-
that shines on our hearts
-
through the power
-
of the Holy Spirit
-
and it allows us
-
to see clearly.
-
Until then,
-
we're seeing a distorted view
-
of the world.
-
And that's why
-
we're so easily swayed
-
by things we read online,
-
by things we watch online,
-
by things we hear
-
other people say,
-
things we hear people say
-
about us.
-
We are so easily swayed
-
by everything
-
except what God says.
-
So we must get
-
to know Him better.
-
We've got to look
-
through His Holy Spirit glasses
-
and then see
-
who we really are
-
and who He really is.
-
Number two,
-
the blessings
-
of knowing God.
-
The blessings
-
of knowing God.
-
Did y'all notice today
-
in your bulletins
-
you've got some work to do?
-
Anybody notice that?
-
Good.
-
Y'all doing the work?
-
Y'all writing it down?
-
Alright, here we go.
-
We told you for a little while
-
this was coming.
-
We're going to be
-
active participants today.
-
Fill in those blanks.
-
Alright, so number one,
-
the revelation
-
of knowing God.
-
Number two,
-
the blessings
-
of knowing God.
-
Boy, the blessings
-
of knowing God
-
we could spend
-
the rest of the day
-
talking about them
-
and still not
-
scratch the surface.
-
But let's give
-
a little overview here
-
beginning in verse 18.
-
Ephesians 1.18,
-
I pray that the eyes
-
of your heart
-
may be enlightened.
-
Talking about that revelation.
-
So that you may know
-
what is the hope
-
of His calling.
-
There we go,
-
the hope of His calling.
-
What is the wealth
-
of His glorious inheritance
-
in the saints.
-
The wealth
-
of His inheritance.
-
And what is
-
the immeasurable
-
greatness of His power
-
toward us who believe
-
according to the mighty
-
working of His strength.
-
Did you catch those
-
three key words
-
that were in there?
-
Hope,
-
inheritance,
-
and power.
-
Hope,
-
inheritance,
-
and power.
-
These are three blessings
-
of knowing God
-
that the text reveals to us
-
here in Ephesians chapter 1.
Ephesians 1 chapter mention
-
So,
-
let's look first
-
over Jeremiah.
-
We're looking at hope.
-
Hope number one.
-
Hope.
-
Then Jeremiah 29.11,
-
I know the plans
-
I have for you.
-
Plans for your well-being,
-
not for disaster,
-
to give you a future
-
and a hope.
-
That is why
-
Christians can have
-
such a positive outlook
-
on life,
-
even when things
-
aren't going well.
-
It's because God
-
gives us a future
-
and a hope.
-
He promises that.
-
So,
-
it's like,
-
it doesn't matter
-
how bad the here
-
and now gets,
-
I know that there's
-
a future,
-
and I know my future
-
is secure.
-
I know there's a hope
-
for today.
-
I know that even
-
though I mess up,
-
God's love for me
-
wasn't contingent
-
on me not messing up.
-
God loves me
-
despite my mess ups.
-
So,
-
I can have a hope,
-
and I can still
-
have a future.
-
My future is secure.
-
There's nothing
-
that I did
-
to inherit God's presence.
-
There's nothing
-
I did
-
to inherit God's love,
-
and there's nothing
-
that I can do
-
to lose it.
-
I have a future,
-
and it's secure,
-
and I have a hope,
-
and it's real,
-
and it's unshakable.
-
You know what the
-
enemy of hope is?
-
Fear.
-
The enemy of hope
-
is fear.
-
How many of us
-
struggle with fear
-
on a daily basis?
-
You don't have
-
to raise your hand.
-
We know you do.
-
You know I do.
-
We all do.
-
Every one of us
-
struggles with fear
-
because we are
-
living in this flesh,
-
but that's why
-
we must remind ourselves
-
continually who God is.
-
We've got to get to know
-
Him more intimately.
-
That's where that hope
-
comes from.
-
Look through those
-
Holy Spirit glasses,
-
and remember
-
that we have a hope,
-
and it's alive.
-
1 Peter chapter 1,
1 Peter 1 chapter mention
-
Praise be to the God
-
and Father of our
-
Lord Jesus Christ.
-
In His great mercy,
-
He's given us new birth
-
into a living hope.
-
There's a song,
-
a Christian song
-
that's written about that.
-
It says,
-
Jesus Christ,
-
my living hope.
-
He is our living hope.
-
He's alive.
-
That's why the resurrection
-
of Jesus from the dead
-
is the one thing
-
that we can rest
-
all of our hope on.
-
It's the one thing
-
that we can build
-
our hope on
-
because if He died
-
and He didn't come back
-
to life,
-
then He wasn't God.
-
The things He said
-
weren't true,
-
and this is all
-
an exercise in futility.
-
It's all worth nothing.
-
But He did rise from the dead.
-
He is alive today,
-
and He is our living hope
-
through the resurrection
-
of Jesus Christ
-
from the dead.
-
You and I have hope.
-
Well, we can only have hope
-
when we get to know God better
-
because otherwise,
-
we can't battle that fear
-
that surrounds us.
-
Yes, our destiny is secure.
-
We should have that hope
-
and carry that with us,
-
but we're too caught up in fear.
-
We're too caught up
-
in getting to know
-
everything else around us
-
except the God
-
who loves us
-
and can transform our lives.
-
1 Peter chapter 1
1 Peter 1 chapter mention
-
and the next verse.
-
We read verse 3 a moment ago.
-
Into an inheritance
-
that can never perish,
-
spoil, or fade.
-
Did you get that?
-
His great mercy,
-
He's given us new birth
-
into this living hope
-
because Jesus rose from the dead
-
and into an inheritance
-
that can never perish,
-
spoil, or fade.
-
How many of you guys
-
have like a $100 million inheritance
-
waiting on you
-
whenever so-and-so does?
-
I didn't think so.
-
If you are,
-
you need to tie it on that, okay?
-
Our inheritance
-
is so much better
-
than $100 million.
-
Our inheritance
-
can never perish,
-
spoil, or fade.
-
It can't be wasted
-
on something else.
-
It can't have its value
-
decrease through the stock market.
-
Our inheritance
-
is so much better
-
because it is eternal.
-
It is forever.
-
You know what the interesting
-
part in that?
-
This is another blessing
-
of knowing God.
-
It's understanding
-
that He is our inheritance.
-
You know what the crazy part is?
-
We are His inheritance.
-
Did you see there
-
in verse...
-
Where was it here?
-
Ephesians chapter 1
Ephesians 1 chapter mention
-
and verse 18.
-
That you may know
-
what is the hope
-
of His calling,
-
what is the wealth
-
of His glorious inheritance
-
in the saints.
-
Do you know what
-
Scripture teaches here
-
and it alludes to it
-
right here in Ephesians 1?
-
We are His prize.
-
Isn't that weird?
-
It is easy for us
-
to recognize
-
how great and good God is.
-
How He is our inheritance.
-
He is our treasure.
-
He is our prize.
-
He's so much greater
-
than we are.
-
That's not hard
-
to wrap our heads around.
-
But it's a little wild
-
to consider
-
that God looks at us
-
as the big prize
-
that He won.
-
We are His inheritance.
-
And He can't wait
-
to get us home.
-
He is so looking forward
-
to this joyous reunion
-
in heaven someday
-
when He gathers
-
all the children
-
into the fold.
-
So we can take comfort
-
in knowing
-
that God's going
-
to take care of us.
-
We are His inheritance.
-
God's got us.
-
He loves us.
-
He values us.
-
He treasures us.
-
But that's a blessing
-
of knowing God.
-
That's a blessing
-
of being familiar with Him.
-
That's a blessing
-
of knowing His heart.
-
Knowing His mind.
-
Spending time with Him.
-
Then you see
-
how God sees you.
-
And you see
-
who He really is.
-
And then finally,
-
it talks about
-
the blessing
-
of knowing God
-
is His power.
-
The immeasurable greatness
-
of His power
-
toward us
-
who believe.
-
Folks,
-
do you know why
-
you may not
-
have experienced
-
the power of God
-
in your life?
-
because you may
-
not really believe.
-
You might not
-
really be saved.
-
If you died today,
-
you might head
-
straight to a burning hell
-
because you've never
-
turned from your sin
-
and put your faith
-
in Jesus.
-
I'm dead serious.
-
I will give that invitation
-
every time I preach.
-
and 99.9% of the time
-
nobody walks down here
-
but I guarantee you
-
there are people
-
sitting in this Sunday
-
under the sound
-
of my voice
-
every week,
-
week after week
-
after week
-
and they refuse
-
to repent of their sin
-
and put their faith
-
in Jesus for salvation.
-
I promise you
-
that is true
-
in our church.
-
Don't start looking around
-
and wondering who it is.
-
Look in your own heart.
-
Say, God,
-
am I your child?
-
Have I truly
-
repented of my sin
-
and put my faith
-
in Jesus?
-
Has there been
-
visible evidence
-
of that in my life?
-
Do I see evidence
-
of the Holy Spirit
-
in my life?
-
Because otherwise
-
there's no power.
-
Did you see
-
what it said?
-
The power is there
-
for you who believe.
-
believe.
-
If you don't believe,
-
you don't get the power.
-
If you don't believe,
-
you don't get the inheritance.
-
If you don't believe,
-
you don't get the hope.
-
That is the blessing
-
of knowing God.
-
Please don't leave
-
this room today
-
without meeting God
-
and getting to know Him.
-
That's what this is all about, y'all.
-
We can sing the songs
-
and the choir sounds great
-
and we can dress up nice
-
and come and be friendly
-
to everybody,
-
but that is all worth nothing
-
if you don't know Jesus.
-
You gotta know Jesus.
-
You gotta meet Him
-
for the first time today.
-
For those who do believe,
-
we have access
-
to unlimited power.
-
I talked about it
-
with the teens
-
on Wednesday night.
-
Jesus said,
-
all power is given unto me
-
so you can go
-
with all that power
-
because I am with you.
-
So we have access
-
to all His power.
-
2 Peter chapter 1.
2 Peter 1 chapter mention
-
His divine power
-
has given us
-
everything required
-
for life and godliness.
-
Watch this.
-
Through the knowledge
-
of Him
-
who called us
-
by His own glory
-
and goodness.
-
Knowing God better
-
gives you access
-
to His power
-
and that's all you need
-
for life.
-
Everything required
-
for life
-
and for living
-
how God wants you to live,
-
living godly,
-
is found in knowing God.
-
You gotta know Him better.
-
That's why we study
-
His word.
-
That's why we gather together.
-
That's why we have
-
Sunday school classes.
-
That's why we have
-
small groups.
-
That's why we have
-
ministries throughout the church.
-
To get to know God better.
-
We know God better
-
by obeying Him.
-
We know God better
-
by coming to church,
-
by fellowshipping
-
with the believers,
-
by singing songs
-
that praise Him
-
and talk about His goodness.
-
We know God better.
-
that gives us access
-
to His power
-
which is all we need
-
for life.
-
So,
-
finally,
-
the victory
-
of knowing God.
-
Those blessings
-
of knowing God
-
are amazing
-
but I can promise you
-
there is a victory
-
in knowing God.
-
There's a victory
-
awaiting us.
-
It's this theological idea
-
of already
-
but not yet.
-
You understand
-
what I'm saying?
-
God has already
-
sealed us.
-
He's already secured us.
-
He's already forgiven us
-
and made us His children.
-
We just haven't
-
realized that yet.
-
We're still trapped
-
in this body.
-
We're still living
-
on this wicked earth
-
surrounded by sin
-
all around us
-
but the victory
-
is already won.
-
Look at verse 20.
-
He exercised this power
-
in Christ
-
by raising Him
-
from the dead
-
and seating Him
-
in His right hand
-
in the heavens
-
far above every ruler
-
and authority
-
power and dominion
-
and every title
-
given not only
-
in this age
-
but also
-
in the one to come
-
and He subjected
-
everything under His feet
-
and He appointed Him
-
as head
-
over everything
-
for the church.
-
You want to know
-
who's in charge
-
of this church?
-
Jesus is in charge
-
of this church.
-
He's the head
-
of this church
-
which is His body
-
the fullness
-
of the one
-
who fills all things
-
in every way.
-
can I clue you in
-
on something here?
-
This is one of my
-
favorite resources
-
Wilmington's Guide
-
to the Bible
-
and the man
-
who wrote this
-
said the believer
-
is fighting
-
from a victory
-
not for a victory.
-
The victory
-
is already won.
-
That's the good news
-
for you this morning.
-
Jesus already beat death.
-
He conquered death.
-
1 Corinthians 15
-
says thanks be to God
-
who gives us the victory
-
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
-
We are living this life
-
fighting this spiritual battle
-
from a place of victory
-
not trying to win the victory.
-
God's already won it.
-
It's here.
-
It's here for us
-
to live in
-
enjoy claim
-
every time Satan
-
comes after you
-
every time he tries
-
to discourage you
-
or attack you
-
with fear
-
or tempt you
-
with something
-
you know you shouldn't do
-
you can say Satan
-
you're a beaten enemy.
-
God has won.
-
I'm not going to give in
-
to a loser.
-
So the takeaway this morning
-
is my confidence grows
-
as my intimate knowledge
-
of God grows.
-
My confidence grows
-
as my intimate knowledge
-
of God grows.
-
What do we mean by this?
-
How does knowing God
-
give me confidence?
-
One,
-
I see more clearly.
-
We talked about
-
that illumination
-
that revelation
-
of seeing us
-
as God sees us
-
and seeing him
-
as he really is.
-
I can see more clearly
-
that gives me confidence.
-
I have hope.
-
A living hope.
-
Jesus is alive.
-
My hope is real.
-
And that gives me confidence.
-
And I have
-
and I am
-
God's inheritance.
-
Boy, that should give you confidence.
-
You have inherited
-
all that God is.
-
We are joint heirs
-
co-equal
-
with
-
the Son of God himself
-
Jesus.
-
We are joint heirs
-
with Christ.
-
And then God
-
sees us
-
as his inheritance.
-
Talk about a confidence builder.
-
God values you so much
-
and then I have power.
-
I have all power
-
that God has.
-
The Holy Spirit of God
-
walks with me,
-
prepares the path for me,
-
protects me,
-
guides me
-
if I'll listen to him.
-
I have all that power
-
and I already have the victory.
-
These are confidence builders
-
that can go with us
-
every step of the way.
-
2 Timothy chapter 2
2 Timothy 2 chapter mention
-
the last book of the Bible
-
that Paul wrote
-
that we have record of.
-
He says,
-
I'm not ashamed.
-
It's toward the end of his life.
-
He said,
-
I know whom I have believed
-
and I'm persuaded
-
that he is able
-
to keep
-
what I have committed to him
-
until that day.
-
You see the confidence
-
oozing through that?
-
You see the confidence
-
that Paul had?
-
I know
-
who I've believed in
-
and I am absolutely
-
persuaded
-
that he will keep
-
what I have committed to him
-
until that day.
-
What kind of confidence
-
do you have?
-
Here's the real question.
-
How well do you really know God?
-
There is a direct link.
-
There's a direct correlation
-
between how well you know God
-
and your confidence level
-
as a Christian.
-
If you're shaky,
-
you're beaten up by fear,
-
tossed to and fro,
-
insecurity,
-
uncertainty,
-
you need to get to know God better.
-
God is the answer to that.
-
His power,
-
his hope,
-
his inheritance,
-
all these
-
can soothe those fears.
-
All these can reassure you.
-
But you've got to get to know him.
-
You've got to spend time with him.
-
You've got to get to know him intimately.
-
And you can recognize him in the world.
-
You can see,
-
that's from God.
-
That's from God.
-
Hebrews 4,
-
let us then approach
-
God's throne of grace
-
with confidence
-
so that we may receive mercy
-
and find grace
-
to help us
-
in our time of need.
-
We can approach God
-
with confidence.
-
Okay?
-
We're talking about a daily activity,
-
a daily approach.
-
Getting down on your knees,
-
maybe even lying prostrate
-
if you need to,
-
on your face
-
before God.
-
spending time
-
getting to know him.
-
Sometimes just being quiet
-
and listening to him.
-
Waiting to see
-
what those thoughts
-
and burdens
-
and prayers
-
that he puts into your heart.
-
Opening up his word
-
and seeing
-
what he's already said to us.
-
And then rising up
-
and walking with him
-
in confidence.
-
We can daily approach him
-
with confidence.
-
We can run into the king's court.
-
We can run up to his throne
-
and take
-
all of his time
-
at any moment.
-
You understand?
-
My confidence grows
-
as my intimate knowledge
-
of God grows.
-
Would you bow your heads with me?
-
God, I ask that you would
-
increase our confidence,
-
that you would increase
-
our knowledge of you.
-
There might be somebody
-
in here this morning
-
who needs to meet you
-
for the first time.
-
So right now,
-
while our heads are bowed,
-
I'm going to ask this question
-
like I do every week.
-
If you don't know Jesus
-
as your savior
-
and you know today's the day
-
you need to repent of your sin,
-
turn from it
-
and turn to Jesus,
-
would you slip your hand up
-
real quick, please?
-
Would you slip your hand up?
-
Thank you.
-
Let me ask this question.
-
How many of you might say
-
that
-
I need to be a more
-
confident Christian,
-
which means I need to get
-
to know God better?
-
I need to change my view of God,
-
get to know him
-
in the way that the Bible
-
actually portrays him,
-
not other people.
-
Tell me what he is.
-
I need to get to know him
-
for myself.
-
How many of you would say
-
that's me,
-
I need to build my confidence
-
and get to know God better?
-
Thank you, thank you,
-
thank you.
-
How many of you would say
-
that fear has been attacking me?
-
And that's something
-
I need prayer for.
-
Fear has been coming
-
after me.
-
Would you slip your hand up
-
real quick?
-
I'll pray for you.
-
Thank you, thank you.
-
God, you see these hands
-
and you know every other question
-
that I could have asked
-
and you know the answers.
-
I pray that you would work
-
at our hearts this morning,
-
that nobody would leave this room
-
having a false relationship with you,
-
that nobody would leave this room
-
still trusting in themselves,
-
that nobody would leave this room
-
thinking that you don't love them,
-
you don't care about them.
-
God, you've told us
-
exactly the opposite
-
and you prove it time and time again
-
in our lives
-
and those who haven't experienced that,
-
I pray that they would get
-
to know you better,
-
that they would learn
-
what is that power,
-
what is that hope,
-
what is that inheritance
-
that is found in you.
-
It's in Jesus' name we pray.
-
Amen.
-
We're going to have just a moment.
-
Amen.