Just Like Jesus

Open your Bibles to Acts chapter 19. Meet me, verses 13 through 16.

Acts 19 · chapter mention

Acts chapter 19, 13 through 16.

Acts 19 · chapter mention

And the word of the Lord says, Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists

took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had

evil spirits, saying, We exorcist, is it exorcist? Somebody say it.

It is exercise, okay? I was saying it right before. We exercise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.

Also, there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest who did so.

And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus, I know, and Paul, I know.

But watch this, Who are you? Say that.

Who are you? Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them,

overpowered them, and prevailed against them so that they fled out of the house naked and wounded.

Over the last several weeks, we started a series that we have titled Who Are You? And.

And the reason why we started this series is so that we can identify who we are in Christ Jesus.

The world wants us to discover who we are by the way we feel,

maybe even by the way we vote, by our past experiences, by our sexuality, by our desires.

And the world wants us to discover who we are and then pronounce who you are

simply by the way you feel or the way you experience, but Jesus wants us to.

Identify who we are in Christ, in him, in what his word says about us.

And so the question I want to ask you today is, do you know who you are?

And we're going to be talking about this today and over the next several weeks,

because apparently in the spirit realm, demons, the evil spirits said they knew Jesus,

and they knew Paul, but they had no clue who you are.

And it's time for the spirit world to know who we are in Christ Jesus.

Amen. It's time for the demons to tremble when we show up.

It's time for them to be scared of us when we recognize who we are.

And I believe that because these exorcists did not recognize who they were, the demons beat them up.

It says they were whipped and wounded and beat and naked.

And I believe if you don't know who you are in Christ, your life will be a disaster.

When you don't know who you are in Christ, you will get wounded and beat up.

And run around like a chicken with your head cut off because you cannot and

have not identified who you are in Christ Jesus.

Society says find yourself, but scripture says find yourself in Christ.

Discover who you are in Christ. Identity is how you see yourself.

How do you see yourself? That's identity.

And once you see yourself in the appropriate way, you would then be provided

with purpose, the reason why you exist.

But we first must discover who we are in Christ.

And all of these messages are online, truelifefc.org. You can go online,

get the messages and the notes.

But a few weeks ago, we found out that we were a new creation in Christ.

Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 17.

2 Corinthians 5 and verse 17, the apostle Paul tells us by the unction of the

Holy Spirit, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, say, that's me.

He is a new creation. All things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.

And because you and I are in Christ, those that have given their lives to the

Lord Jesus Christ, we have immediately been baptized into the body of Christ.

So we are in Christ. And because we are in Christ, we are a brand new creation

that has never existed before.

Now, I'm not talking about your outside. You're going to be the same color,

the same shape, you know, whatever.

If you're a male, you're going to stay a male, okay? If you're a female,

you're going to stay a female.

You're going to be the same on the outside, but on the inside,

you become something unprecedented, something that's never heard of,

something that's original, unused, brand new.

Now, you may not be the latest creation, and you may not be the most recent

creation, but that's not what the word new means here in scripture.

It means that you are an unprecedented creation.

You are a species of being that has never existed before.

You're unique. You're special. And there is a special gift that God has given

you because he created you anew in him.

So old things, all of the bad experiences, all of the past, the way you used

to be, the way you used to think, the actions you used to undertake,

and don't act like you've been so holy all your life.

I know you've been in some mess. Come on, somebody.

If you're telling the truth, say amen.

All of that is old behind you. It's in the past.

It is gone. You are now a brand new creature in Christ Jesus.

Even if you did something crazy just one minute ago, you are still a brand new

creature in Christ Jesus because his mercies are new.

And because his mercies are new, then you become new every single time you wake

up, every single time you do something wrong, you are still a new creation in

Christ Jesus. Say amen to that.

And so we understand your identity is I'm a new creation. What I did is not who I am.

What I did is not who I am.

What I did is not who I am,

I'm a new creation in Christ and because I'm a new creation in Christ I'm going

to endeavor to identify as a new creation in Christ and then act like a new creation in Christ

but what I did is not who I am I told a lie you're not a liar.

You're a new creation in Christ Jesus and you slipped up and told a lie but

a new creation in Christ Jesus doesn't lie.

So the next time it comes up, you don't lie because a new creation in Christ

Jesus tells the truth. Say amen to that.

Now, 1 John 5.4, this is going to be read from the Amplified 2015.

Is that the right? Yeah, that 1 John 5.4 Amplified 2015. They changed the name

all the time of the Amplified.

Now it's Amplified 2015, all right? And so it says, for everyone born of God

is victorious and overcomes the world.

And this is the victory that has conquered and overcome the world,

our continuing persistent faith in Jesus, the Son of God.

Now, let's break this down. Everyone who is born of God.

Born of God means born again or born from above. That's what born again means. Born from above.

You remember when Jesus is having a conversation in John chapter 3,

John 3:3

verse 3 with Nicodemus, he tells Nicodemus, you must be born again.

And Nicodemus translates that and says, wait a minute, I got to go back into

my mother's room and be born a second time?

No, that's disgusting. That's not what Jesus is saying.

What he's saying is you were born once physically, but you must be born from

above. You must be born spiritually now.

You have a new birth that's from above. You must be born again.

And John tells us here, for everyone who is born again, born of God or born

from God, watch this, is victorious and overcomes the world.

And so you're not defeated. You're not a loser. You're not someone that always

misses the mark to make a mistake.

You're not someone that's a clown.

You are victorious in Christ Jesus. You are an overcomer.

Whatever comes your way, you can have the victory over because you're born of God.

Now, you remember we said this a couple of weeks ago, wherever you are from,

tells me a lot about who you are. You cannot separate your identity,

listen to me now, from where you're from.

I was talking to Mark a few weeks ago we met. Mark told me he was from the Hampton,

Virginia, Newport News area.

That told me everything I needed to know about Mark. He grew up in a rough,

Newport News is rough, a rough area with probably a lot of violence and a lot

of poverty, a lot of drugs.

He grew up in a pretty difficult area.

I knew a lot about him when he simply told me where he was from.

I was born in Mississippi. That should tell you a lot about me.

I'm from the South, but I grew up in California.

That should tell you a lot more about me, right?

Where someone tells you where they're from, we find their identity in where they're from.

So if you're from above, then I know a lot about you.

I know that you have a God that loves you, and he calls you father,

and he calls your son, or you call him father, he calls you son and daughter,

and he will take care of you, and he will supply all of your need.

Where are you from? I'm from above. Oh, that means you don't have to worry about

anything because God's going to supply, and he's going to take care of it for you. Where are you from?

I'm from above. Oh, that means that you have the wisdom of God.

That means that you have access to excess because where you're from tells me a lot about you.

And if you're from above, you will not stay broke.

You will not stay in pain. You will not stay sick because you're from above

and God is a healer. He's a provider.

He's a sustain her and he's going to take care of you each and every time. Somebody shout amen.

So where you are from,

you can find your identity in. I'm from above.

There are times that stuff bothers me, and I'm like, why does that bother me? I'm not even from here.

I'm from above. Why am I upset by what that man said on TV? Why am I upset by

that politician, what he's doing and saying, I'm not even from here. I'm a citizen of heaven.

I'm just here on an assignment.

Now, I didn't say don't vote. I did not say don't vote. Get out and vote.

But I'm not from here. And whatever results happen, they just have the only

need for me to get bent out of shape and all upset. I ain't even from here.

I'm from above. Amen. And when you recognize where you're from.

You'll realize what this verse says. Then you become victorious and an overcomer.

And then last week, we talked about this one in Colossians chapter 2,

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

8 through 10. Colossians chapter 2, 8 through 10.

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

The apostle Paul tells us, beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and

empty deceit. It's just empty words and human wisdom and knowledge.

According to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the

world, and not according to Christ.

For in him, that's you and I, dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

In Christ Jesus, all of the fullness of God dwells, and watch this in verse

10, and you are complete in him who is the head of all principality and power.

In him, you are not lacking.

In him, you have no deficiency. In him, you have no loss or no inadequacy.

In him, there's nothing missing. So you are complete in him.

In him, I am not lacking anything. I have everything I need in him.

This is what you're going to have to start identifying with.

In him, I possess everything I need.

In him, I don't need someone else to complete me.

I don't need people to complete me.

I don't need someone's, you know, family members to complete me.

I don't need all this other external stuff to complete me because in him, I'm complete.

Say that, in him, I'm complete.

And if you are completing him, you don't have to look outside of him to discover who you are.

Oh, we're trying to figure out who we are. Well, you know, Grandma,

who am I? You know, Dad, who am I?

And all this stuff, you are complete in Him.

You are who He says you are. You find out in this Bible who you are. You are a masterpiece.

You are complete in Him. You are the righteousness of God.

You have been bought with the price. You are from above.

You are filled with all wisdom and knowledge and understanding.

You have an anointing that resides

on the inside of you, that answers all things. This is who you are.

Stop letting the world or your past experience tell you who you are.

You're completing him, and I don't need not one other person,

whether people stay with me, whether they leave me, whether they don't like

me, whether they love me.

I don't need any of that in order to be complete in Christ Jesus.

You better shout amen to that.

Because we've been taught so much to, we just need this person.

Oh, I need them. I just need them. I know you don't.

You don't need them. I just, man, I need them, I need them, I need them. You don't.

You are complete in Christ Jesus.

Say amen to that. And I talked a little bit more about that last week,

how we are complete in Christ Jesus. And today, I want to go a little further,

and I want to talk about one of the most common questions that I receive.

And the question is, who am I? I get that a lot. Who am I?

What has God called me to do? What am I supposed to do with my life?

I used to ask that question a lot in my 20s.

Matter of fact, I just turned 49, and someone asked me, what would you tell

your 21, 22, 25-year-old self if I had a chance to tell them?

I was in the barbershop. Actually, my barber asked me that.

And I said to him, I would tell my 21, 22, 25-year-old self if I would listen.

At that age, right? I probably wouldn't have listened to even myself saying

it, but I would tell that 21, 22, 25-year-old Devon, relax.

Just relax. You're all bent out of shape about all this. Just relax.

It's all going to work out just fine. Relax.

And so that's one of the questions I get a lot. Who am I? What am I called to

do? What am I called to be?

Where should I go? Where should I live? And all these things that are important

that I really want to address today.

If we take a look at Romans chapter 8, and we'll read through 28 through 30,

Romans 8 · chapter mention

Romans chapter 8, 28 through 30,

Romans 8 · chapter mention

the apostle Paul tells us by the unction of the spirit, and we know that all

things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called

according to his purpose.

For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his

son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Look at verse 30.

Moreover, whom he predestined, these he also called, and whom he called,

these he also justified, and whom he justified, these he also glorified.

And so let's break down all these big biblical words here and let's get it down

to something that makes sense to you and I.

I get all these questions. Who am I? When am I supposed to be? What am I called to do?

I'm stumped. I don't know what's next for me.

The Lord says here that all things are going to work together for good to those who love God.

They don't all work together for good for everybody.

Did you hear me? All things don't work together for good for everybody.

They work together for good to those who do what? Love God. Do you love God?

All right. So all things are going to work together for good to those who love God. Watch this.

To those who are called according to his purpose.

Those that are called according to the reason why they exist.

And then he says, for whom he, talking about the Lord Jesus, for whom he foreknew.

Now, that's just a big biblical word that simply means knew beforehand. All right.

So whom he knew beforehand, watch this, he also predestined.

Now, that's a big biblical word that a lot of people get in arguments about,

predestination. I ain't going to go that deep today, but I'm going to break it down for you.

Predestined simply means to prepare beforehand.

That's all it means. If I'm going down to Charleston, South Carolina,

get me some good old seafood. That sounds good right about now, right?

I'm going to predestine my journey. I'm going to prepare beforehand.

That's all predestine means, to prepare beforehand.

So I'm going to map it out. I'm going to see how long it's going to take.

I'm going to fill up the car.

I'm going to see what's the quickest route, right?

I'm going to predestine my trip to Charleston, South Carolina.

This is all what the Lord's saying.

Whom he knew beforehand, he also predestined or prepared beforehand.

Watch this, to be conformed. That's another big biblical word.

That word conformed simply means to be like, to be like.

So whom he knew beforehand, he also predestined, prepared beforehand to be conformed,

to be like, watch this, the image of his son.

The word image means picture or resemblance.

So, follow me. Are y'all with me? I said, are y'all with me?

So, whom he knew beforehand, God knew you beforehand, He predestined,

he prepared beforehand.

He prepared you beforehand so that you could be conformed to look like the image,

the resemblance of, you said it, Patricia, Jesus.

So the goal, who am I? What am I supposed to do? Who am I supposed to become?

It's to be like Jesus.

You're you have been you god knew you before you even born,

He prepared you before you were even born. We're talking about a big God.

To be conformed to the resemblance of Jesus.

Who am I? I'm to look like Jesus. What am I supposed to do?

I'm to be like Jesus. Who am I supposed to become?

Like Jesus. Now watch this.

For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his

Son, that he, Jesus, might be the firstborn among many brethren.

So Jesus is our big brother.

He's the firstborn among many

brethren or sistering. That all falls under brethren. He is the firstborn.

Watch this. And whom he predestined. What does predestined mean? Prepared beforehand.

These he also called. Now the word called means divinely selected or invited.

All right? So he divinely selected you or invited you or even appointed you.

Because he predestined you, prepared you beforehand.

He invited you and whom he invited, these he also justified.

That's another big biblical word that simply means declared you righteous or

made you in right standing with God,

or even treating you like you have never sinned.

Glory to God. I'm preaching better. Y'all saying amen up in here.

God, thank you, sister. God is treating you like you have never sinned.

Glory to God. You don't even treat yourself that way,

but God is treating you like you have never missed Mark never made a mistake

because he knew beforehand he invited you to be,

watch this, called and justified, declared you in right standing with God,

and whom he justified. Somebody say, that's me.

That's me. These he also glorified. That's another big biblical word that simply

means these are the ones he is celebrating.

These are the ones he is causing to shine, and these are the ones that he is blessing.

And so the Lord is saying, if you will just conform,

to the image of his son, if you will just be like Jesus in his thought patterns, in his philosophy,

in his actions, in his demonstrations, in his responses, in his character,

if you'll just be like Jesus,

then you are fulfilling everything that I have called you to do.

Glory to God. We think we've got to, if I can bring in X amount of money,

then I'm fulfilling what God's called me to do.

If I can just get married, then I'm feeling, you can be complete in him and

fulfilling what God's called you to do as a single person. Matter of fact, you can do it better.

You got more time and energy to do it even better.

Be like Jesus is what we're called to do. Who am I? I'm like Jesus.

To some, that sounds blasphemous. What? But the Bible wants us to be like Jesus.

Jesus. We're simply supposed to yield and conform our ways to resemble Jesus, to look like Jesus.

You are called to look like Jesus.

Say this after a minute. I am called to look like Jesus.

You are supposed to be his hands and feet in the earth.

You are the body of Christ. When they started calling people in Acts Christians

as a derogatory term because they were acting like Christ.

And they were making fun of those Christians over there because they were acting like Christ.

When someone calls us a Christian, we should just smile because,

yep, because I'm acting like Christ.

Now, the problem is too many people calling themselves Christians that ain't Christians.

Did you know, this is a side note, did you know that 80% or something of Congress

call themselves Christians?

Do you think that, you think 80% of them are acting like Christ?

Come on, tell the truth. No. This is why I use the term saints.

Are you a saint? Yeah. Say it. Let me ask again. Are you a saint?

The Bible mentions saints over a hundred times and Christians only, I believe, twice.

Saints. And sometimes you'll talk to someone and say, are you a saint?

Oh, I'm not a saint, but I'm a Christian.

You are actually a saint. And so you don't want to be called a saint because

that requires you to look more like Jesus.

So you try to back away from the term saint because I don't want to look more like Jesus.

When Jesus is saying, I've called you to look like me.

I called you to conform to my image in the earth.

God is using every situation in your life to shape you to look more like Jesus

in character, in conduct, and in compassion.

In character, conduct, and compassion.

You're to look like Jesus.

That's what I'm called to do. Who am I? I look like Jesus. I've been born of God.

Matter of fact, my kids.

That we've birthed.

It's not uncommon for one of them, you know, for someone to say, that kid looks like you.

Well, that's supposed to happen. Or that kid looks like his mom.

That's supposed to happen.

We're supposed to be a chip off the old block, right?

We've been born of God, so we're to be like God.

Oh, don't throw rocks at me, but we're called to be like Jesus.

We're called to respond like Jesus. How would Jesus respond?

And many of us think Jesus is some, you know, teddy bear looking to be hugged all the time.

Oh, come hold me like Jesus is begging to be held. And oh, Jesus,

he's crying over you. Jesus was tough and strong.

Listen, they tried to kill him. They tried to push him off the edge of the cliff.

I don't know how he did it. He just walked right through him like,

yo, what's up? And just kept on moving.

I'm about my father's business. Amen? Hey, Jesus, he wasn't weak.

And so you don't have to be weak. Somebody, well, are you acting like Jesus? Yes, I am.

I ain't going to put up with your chaos because Jesus didn't put up with it. Amen.

And so we're to look and act like Jesus in our character, our conduct, and compassion.

Take a look with me at Galatians 2, verse 20.

Galatians 2:20

Galatians 2, verse 20.

Galatians 2:20

The apostle Paul says it this way.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God

who loved me and gave himself for me.

Your identity changed at the cross. Glory to God.

Your identity changed at the cross.

This is the importance of the cross. Jesus took all of our sin,

all of our shame. Jesus took all of the curse.

Jesus took all of sickness. Jesus took all of our mistakes.

Jesus took all of our poverty.

And he was nailed to the cross. And he said, it is finished.

There on the cross so that you and I can be made justified, declared righteous in the sight of God.

Corinthians tells us here that he who knew no sin was made sin so that you and

I might be made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

We may talk about that next week, but Jesus was made sin so that you and I could be made righteous.

And so, because we are made righteous, our identity changed at the cross.

The person you used to be no longer exists.

Listen to me now. You are not who you used to be.

I still have some friends sometimes that I've talked to from college or high

school, and they still think I'm that guy.

And they'll bring up some story that happened. And I'll be like,

I don't know that man. And I don't know that situation. Amen.

Well, are you lying? Well, I'm just letting them know a new man has arisen. Amen.

And he was new this morning, praise God, because every morning I'm brand new, praise God.

And so some friends would say, oh, you remember that time you was with that

girl? Nope, I don't remember that.

You remember that time we hung out over there? Nah, I don't recall that.

Who was that that was with us when we did this. It wasn't me. I wasn't there.

Amen. I'm a new creation in Christ. Amen. That man is dead.

And so I've got a new identity in Christ Jesus.

And so listen here, the person you used to be no longer exists.

Stop recalling who you used to be. It's the enemy that's trying to remind you

who you used to be. Telling the enemy to shut up.

You, listen, you know Jesus, you know Paul, now you know me.

And I'm the new man in Christ Jesus. Now listen to this statement.

Are you ready for this? Hold on to your seatbelts.

The person you want to be no longer matters.

If you've been crucified with Christ and you have accepted his substitutionary

sacrifice and exchanged your

sin for his righteousness, the person you want to be no longer matters.

Listen to me now. well, I want to do this, I want to do that.

If it doesn't line up with who Christ who lives in you wants to do, it doesn't matter.

You think I wanted to be a preacher? I did not, if you thought I did. I did not.

I wanted to be a United Airlines pilot.

I wanted to fly airplanes. I enjoy flying, and I did not want to preach.

And then the other thing I wanted to do is I wanted to be in finances,

which I was, and I wanted to make a whole lot of money.

Ain't nothing wrong with the desire to want to make a whole lot of money.

Nothing wrong with that, as long as the money don't make you.

Say amen to that. Amen. Amen. Hey, nothing wrong with you having money,

just don't let money have you.

And how do you know the difference? Can you give it away?

And the Lord, I did, I was in the banking industry, and I wanted to stay in

the banking industry, and the Lord called me out. I'm making six figures.

The Lord called me out, step away, start a church.

That's not what I wanted to do. Now.

As an 11-year-old boy, I knew I was called to preach.

I gave my life to Jesus. Well, I gave my life to Jesus around eight years old,

11 years old. I knew I was called to preach. I didn't want to preach.

I wanted to fly airplanes and make a lot of money.

All right? I didn't want to preach. But the Lord told me when I was working

in a Fortune 500 company, making over $100,000 a year when $100,000 a year was real money.

Y'all know what I'm talking about? It was real money then, right?

Making good money, the Lord said, step out, leave this job, and going to the ministry.

That's not what I wanted to do. But if I've been crucified with Christ,

what I want to do no longer matters.

Say amen. And so I said, my goodness. I said, well, maybe I'll do both.

I'll stay at this job and preach. And the Lord knew, he knew me.

He knew that the job was going to get 100% of me and y'all was going to get whatever was left over.

And the family was going to get nothing.

He knew. He said, no. He said, I want you to leave. I said, put my notice in.

Put your notice in. So I walk in to the office and it's Christmas time.

And I said, I need to talk to one of the managers who went to these little rooms.

I said, listen, I'm resigning. They said, you're doing what?

I said, I'm resigning. And at this time, the particular position I had,

no one had willfully resigned.

People had gotten fired, but no one had willfully resigned. So I was one of

the first ones to resign. I said, I'm resigning.

And they were like, you going to a competitor? No, the Lord said,

start a church. He said, what now?

He said, start a church. Now, I was leading some Bible studies there with some

of the gentlemen. So they kind of knew a little bit about that,

but they thought I was radical. Now, that's too much.

You're going to leave this job and start a church. I've been crucified with Christ.

No longer is I who live, but Christ lives in me.

And the life I now live, I live by faith in the Son. I live, he lives through me.

They walk me out. Rose, they walk me out.

Security came, and walked me out. I said, wait, wait, I got a couple of things.

They said, no, just gather your stuff. You done.

And they walked, because I guess the type of job I had, I don't know,

they didn't know if I was telling the truth or not.

And so they walked me out that day. I said, Lord, my goodness. And so here I am.

I got no job because I left it. They're going to ministry. We're just going

to start a church. I'm not asking none of y'all to do that.

So sometimes people hear that like, well, that's what I'm supposed to do.

No, no, no. You ask the Lord if that's what you're supposed to do, okay?

I did that, and we got started, and look what the Lord has done. Amen?

The Lord's been faithful. You can tell I've never missed a meal,

and we go on vacation every year because the Lord has been faithful to us.

If you allow him to live through you, you'll live your best life.

You won't get every, you won't, no, I'm going to say it. You will experience

everything you want to experience if you allow the Lord to live through you.

Y'all, I just feel led to tell this story. You'll experience it.

Friend of mine, I like airplanes.

Friend of mine said, you need to check out this particular airplane.

I don't have, listen, I don't got no airplane money. Not yet.

Okay, but you need to check out this kind of airplane.

And then he was looking, it was a King Air, a certain type of airplane,

whatever. And I said, oh, that's nice. He goes, that's a nice plane for all the Alexanders.

I said, oh, that's nice. I'm just saying that's nice. You know,

we talked this morning about fake it. I was like, oh, that's nice,

right? That's nice. Oh, that's great.

Within one year, I got a friend called me. He said, hey, fly,

fly, fly. No, no, back up. He said, can you go somewhere with me?

I asked Stacy. He goes, I need to go to Raleigh. I said, all right.

Stacy said, yeah, that's fine. He said, we'll be gone for a couple of days.

I said, yeah, that's fine.

And I thought we were driving to Raleigh, except he went straight to the airport.

And we jumped into this black car. I'm like, oh, where are we going?

And then we went to the airport, and we get to the airport, and the exact same

airplane that my friend had told me I should fly on was the airplane we jumped on.

Glory to God. And I always said I wanted to fly on that plane because he said

it was a good plane, and I flew on it.

Guess how much I paid for that trip? Nothing. Thank you.

God, let me experience it because he'll also give you the desires of your heart. Say amen to that.

And so if you will allow him to live through you, the person you want to be no longer matters.

Paul no longer lived for himself.

Your identity must shift from yourself to Christ.

Stop trying to figure out what do i want to do and find out what does christ want to do through me.

Are you listening to me today we're trying to trying to help you grow up today

well what do i want to do it don't matter what you want to do what does christ

want to matter of fact i have discovered,

that everything the lord has asked me to do can i be transparent with you i haven't want it to do.

If you ask me if I want to do it, no. I don't want to do that.

But the Lord has asked me to do it, and it's no longer I who lives.

But Christ lives in me. You think I want to get up every morning and come to

church and preach to y'all? No, I don't. Not every Sunday morning.

Not right. But it's no longer I who live.

But Christ lives in me. And I live by faith in the Son of God because he loves me. Say amen to this.

Paul said, my ego and plans are crucified.

Now, Paul's personality, gifts,

and experiences remain. But Christ became the source of his identity.

He didn't lose his skill set, but he did identify with Christ.

You don't run your life anymore. You don't call the shots any longer because

you have been crucified with Christ. Say amen to that.

Your new identity is in Christ, through Christ, and for Christ.

When I first moved to Charlotte, I was 27 years old.

So I was single, and I didn't have a job. I came out here, long story short, I knew a man.

He had started a ministry. I knew him back in Texas, and I felt like the Lord

told me to come out here and help him.

And I was in Fort Worth, Texas, and I came, and he had just got his church going,

and just came out here to help him, you know? Didn't have a job. I worked at Panera.

I hated working at Panera.

I'm 27. I mean, my boss was 18, telling me what to do and mean and all that. I hated all of it, right?

And I didn't have a good attitude. I really didn't. And the Lord started talking to me about this verse.

He said, you've been crucified with me.

Or, you know, yeah, you've been

crucified with me. It's no longer you who live, but I live through you.

And it kind of ministered to me that, you know what, I got to get a better attitude,

because God asked me to move to Charlotte.

And I believe he opened up this Panera job for me. So I've got to get a better attitude. and so.

I did. I got a better attitude. And there were some clients,

clients, what are they called? Customers.

There were some customers that were like, we really like your attitude. And I said, okay, good.

There are people that recognize I've changed.

It was within that week is when the bank called me and interviewed me for the intro level job.

And I had to get my attitude right first.

Somebody say attitude first. I had to get that right first, and then when I

got my attitude right, then I got the call, and then you know my story.

I got promoted three times in two years, and so on and so forth.

God called me to Panera.

So I'm going to allow him to live through me.

Say amen to that. We always want to be somewhere we're not. Have you noticed that?

We always want to. I can sit at the beach. I was in Cancun wanting to be back

here at the church to minister to you guys. I thought, wait a minute, I need to rest.

I mean, sitting looking at the beautiful sites thinking, when I get back home,

I'm going to preach this and preach that.

Just be where you are and allow Christ to work through you.

Jesus isn't just the one you believe in.

Jesus is the one who tells you who you are.

God is shifting your mindset. No longer will you think about your purpose for

life, but you will only consider his purpose for your life.

Say this after a minute. I only consider his purpose for my life.

His purpose. You've been crucified. Your ego, pride, desires have been crucified. It's dead.

Only consider his purpose for your life. The more time you spend with Jesus,

the more you discover who you were created to be.

So it's spending time with him is the discovery of who you were created to be.

Lord, not my will, right?

But thy will be done.

John the Baptist said it this way, I must decrease.

You remember this? so that he may what? Increase.

And so this is who you are. You don't live for yourself.

You don't live for your ego, for your pride, for your accomplishments.

None of that is who or what you're living for. You're living for him.

And whatever he tells you to do, that's what you do.

In Acts chapter 17, verse 28 in the Passion Translation, Acts 17,

Acts 17:28

28, the Passion Translation, it is through him that we live and function and have our identity.

How do we live and function? Through him. And how do we get our identity? Through him.

He tells us who we are. If you'll spend time long enough with him,

he'll show you who you are.

You'll discover who you are, which is scratching the surface in this series on who you really are.

And when you really know who you are, fear cannot even stop you.

When you know who you are. Worry, anxiety, concern. I didn't say it wouldn't come.

I said it won't stop you when you know who you are.

Understanding your identity in Christ brings deeper meaning and fulfillment

to your life when you understand your identity in him.

Your identity in Christ helps you navigate life with a sense of confidence,

purpose, and confidence as you identify with him.

I've been crucified with him. It's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

I'm created to be like Jesus, to be just like Jesus.

Who are you? You are someone in whom Christ lives and loves.

You are someone in whom Christ loves and lives.

This is who you are. When the enemy tells you, well, who are you?

I'm someone in whom Christ lives and loves.

That's who I am. I am a new creation. I am complete in him. I'm born from above, and I am just like Jesus.

I want you to be bold when you say that. I'm just like Jesus.

Listen, be confident. This is not heresy. This is Bible.

He even said greater works will you do than even he did.

I'm just like Jesus. I'm going to respond in this situation like Jesus.

I'm going to conduct myself in a manner like Jesus.

I'm going to study Jesus and see how he handled his opponents,

how he dealt with his haters, how he dealt with family members who were,

you know, we all got family issues too. You know that, right?

You didn't say amen, but it is the truth. How he dealt with family issues. Amen.

I'm just like Jesus, and he lives in me and through me.

Say this after me. I no longer live.

Christ lives in me. I'm a living sacrifice.

Holy and acceptable. I'm just like Jesus.

This is how you experience true life.