True Identity 3

Transcript

1. TRUE IDENTITY
2. 3“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,” PSALMS 8:3 NKJV
3. 3 “The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,” PSALMS 8:3 NKJV
4. PSALMS 8:4 NKJV 4 “What is man that You are mindful of him,”
5. 4 “And the son of man that You visit him?” PSALMS 8:4 NKJV
6. 5 “For You have made him a little lower than the angels,” PSALMS 8:5 NKJV
7. 5 “And You have crowned him with glory and honor.” PSALMS 8:5 NKJV
8. 6 “You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; PSALMS 8:6 NKJV
9. 6 “You have put all things under his feet.” PSALMS 8:6 NKJV
10. Most people do not have a healthy perspective of themselves in relation to God.
11. Some people think to little of themselves – that is self- loathing.
12. Some people think to little of themselves – that is self- loathing.
14. Then some people think to highly of themselves – that is called narcisism– an over inflated ego.
15. But when you stop to truly think about who we are as humans it can be staggering.
17. In all of creation, we seem to be little tiny specks in the great expanse of the awe inspiring cosmos.
18. Many of us have stared into space, or been on a mountain top and asked the question, “In all of this – what am I.”
19. Many of us have stared into space, or been on a mountain top and asked the question, “In all of this – what am I.”
20. “In all of this – what am I?.”
21. Many of us have stared into space, or been on a mountain top and asked the question, “In all of this – what am I.”
22. We have an image, a position and a place far above anything else, including the angels.
23. That is hard for us little humans to fathom, but we are made in such a way that only us humans can do.
24. We have the capacity for a RELATIONSHIP with the Creator.
25. This realization as David understands our human position above all other creation and before God causes his outburst of -
26. “O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Thy name in all the earth!”
27. We were made as God’s crowning achievement yet we distorted this position and we are placed back in the right position by Jesus…
28. Because of that, we need to remember our position… that we are infinitely valuable to God, that He loved us so much that He died for us.
29. 1 WE ARE CREATED TO REFLECT GOD’S IMAGE: TRUE IDENTITY
30. EPHESIANS 5:1 TPT 1 “Be imitators of God in everything you do,”
31. 1 “For then you will represent your Father as His beloved sons and daughters.” EPHESIANS 5:1 TPT
32. 2 “And continue to walk surrendered to the extravagant love of Christ,” EPHESIANS 5:2 TPT
33. 2 “For He surrendered His life as a sacrifice for us.” EPHESIANS 5:2 TPT
34. 2 “His great love for us was pleasing to God,” EPHESIANS 5:2 TPT
35. 2 “Like an aroma of adoration —a sweet healing fragrance.” EPHESIANS 5:2 TPT
36. God created us in His image and commands us to be like Him.
37. Paul writing to the believers in Ephesus, telling them the same thing.
38. He is giving them a hint as how they are to live.
40. He is straightforward in telling them, "Imitate God."
41. That is what we are to do as born-again believers in Jesus Christ.
42. When we become children of God
43. We are to become IMITATORS OF HIM.
44. What Paul is saying to the believers in Ephesus is, “Be like God.”
45. Jesus set the example... He showed us how to be live holy lives.
46. WE’RE TO WALK IN LOVE just as Christ walked in love – a sacrificial love.
47. When we imitate Jesus, we become role models for others to follow.
48. We are to be like God and God is love – God’s love is an agape love.
49. We are to be like God and God is love – God’s love is an agape love.
50. WE’RE TO LOVE OTHERS WITH A PERFECT LOVE – God’s agape love.
51. We are to love in the same way Christ loved us; UNCONDITIONALLY.
52. Jesus willingly went to the cross only because He loved us.
53. This type of love offers a sweet aroma to the Lord.
54. ROMANS 5:8 TPT “But Christ proved God’s passionate love for us..”
55. ROMANS 5:8 TPT “By dying in our place while we were still lost and ungodly!”
56. God loved us even while we were sinners... We were His enemies.
57. We are commanded to love others, which means everyone, with that same kind of love.
58. We are to be reflections of that love in this world.
59. Jesus commanded us to “love one another” just as He loved us.
60. We may not always agree with others, but we can always love them.
61. DOES THE WAY YOU LIVE serve as a witness to Christ?
62. LET US LOVE LIKE JESUS LOVES.
63. LET US LIVE LIKE JESUS LIVED.
64. LET US BE HOLY LIKE JESUS IS HOLY.
65. Let us strive daily to Be Like God.
66. 1 WE ARE CREATED TO REFLECT GOD’S IMAGE:
67. PROVERBS 16:9 AMP 9 “A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life],”
68. PROVERBS 16:9 AMP 9 “But the LORD directs his steps and establishes them.”
69. PSALMS 33:11 TPT 11 “His destiny-plan for the earth stands sure.”
70. PSALMS 33:11 TPT 11 “His forever-plan remains in place and will never fail.”
71. God has a specialized plan so you can reach your destiny.
72. Jonah had a plan to flee from God’s call and deny his calling.
73. Jonah set his plan to go to Tarshish instead of Nineveh.
74. God had a plan for Jonah – to teach him obedience.
75. God’s plan for Jonah was not Nineveh, It was to teach him obedience.
76. God’s plan for Jonah was not Nineveh, It was to teach him obedience.
77. God’s plans alone prevail.
78. PROVERBS 16:1 To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue.
79. PROVERBS 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
80. PROVERBS 19:21 Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
81. PROVERBS 16:3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
82. PSALM 20:4 May He give you the desire of your heart (put the desires in your heart) and make all your plans succeed.
83. JOB 5:12 He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.
84. ISAIAH 8:10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.
85. PROVERBS 21:30 There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.
86. ISAIAH 14:26 NLT 26 I have a plan for the whole earth, a hand of judgment upon all the nations.”
87. ISAIAH 14:27 NLT 27 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has spoken—”
88. ISAIAH 14:27 NLT 27 “Who can change His plans? When His hand is raised, who can stop him?”
89. 3 WE ARE CREATED FOR GOD’S PURPOSE: TRUE IDENTITY
90. EPHESIANS 2:10 AMP 10 “For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art],”
91. EPHESIANS 2:10 AMP 10 “Created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed..]”
92. EPHESIANS 2:10 AMP 10 “[renewed, ready to be used] for good works…”
93. EPHESIANS 2:10 AMP 10 “Which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set],”
94. EPHESIANS 2:10 AMP 10 “So that we would walk in them [living the good life..]
95. EPHESIANS 2:10 AMP 10 “[Which He prearranged and made ready for us].
96. Have you ever asked, “What is my purpose in life?”
97. You aren’t alone, many people go through life feeling discouraged about themselves and thinking they don’t have a purpose in life, but that’s not true.
99. So many people look for meaning in “things” - the car they drive, the neighborhood they live in, the memberships they hold, the offices they fill.
100. But none of these bring meaning or purpose to life.
101. Whoever you are—whatever your life experiences, talents, physical ability, or role—you have a purpose.
102. GOD PREPARED GOOD WORKS for you and me to do in this life,
103. And discovering what those good works are can be a lot like a treasure hunt.
104. A thrilling adventure to uncover who we are and what God has called us and uniquely gifted us to do.
105. ECCLESIASTES 12:13 NIV “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:”
106. ECCLESIASTES 12:13 NIV “Fear God and keep His commandments,”
107. ECCLESIASTES 12:13 NIV “For this is the duty of all mankind.”
108. ECCLESIASTES 12:14 NIV “For God will bring every deed into judgment,”
109. ECCLESIASTES 12:14 NIV “Including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
110. He says this is the whole duty of man. Notice the word “duty” is in quotation marks. That means that it was supplied to help us understand the passage.
111. Literally, to fear God and keep his commands is the “whole” of man -
112. TO FEAR GOD & KEEP HIS COMMANDS is the “whole” of man
113. It is the complete summary of what we are to be about.
114. More important than anything else in life, is fearing and serving God.
115. Those who fear God, who serve him, and who enjoy life every day are the happiest people on earth
116. Because they know that whether rich or poor, whether a blue collar garbage collector or a white collar brain surgeon
117. when we are serving God faithfully, we have all the meaning and purpose in life we could ever ask for.
118. “The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The work of life is to develop it. The meaning of life is to give your gift away.” (David Viscott)
119. CONCLUSION CONCLUSION
120. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God created man and that He created him for His glory.
121. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God created man and that He created him for His glory.
122. Therefore, the ultimate purpose of man, according to the Bible, is simply to glorify God.
123. THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OF MAN, Is to glorify God.
124. We fulfill our purpose of glorifying God also by living our lives in relationship and faithful service to Him.
125. There was once a young Jewish boy who lived in Germany.
126. His father was a successful merchant, and the family practiced their Jewish faith.
127. Then they moved to another German city, and the father announced that they would no longer practice their Jewish faith but would join the Lutheran church.
128. The young boy was very surprised and asked his father why the family was joining the Lutheran church.
129. His father’s answer was something like, “For business reasons.”
130. There are so many Lutherans in this town that I can make good business contacts at the Lutheran church.
131. It will be good for business. That young boy, who had had such a deep interest in religion, became disillusioned.
132. He thought his father had no real convictions. The incident helped to turn him against religion with a vengeance.
133. He would later move to England and begin to write.
134. His name was Karl Marx and he became the father of Communism.
135. His name was Karl Marx and he became the father of Communism.
136. He wrote the “Communist Manifesto” wherein he called religion the “opiate of the masses.”
137. TRUE IDENTITY & MEANING IN LIFE Is not found in what the world considers important.
138. TRUE IDENTITY & MEANING IN LIFE Is found in a relationship with God
139. through FAITH in JESUS CHRIST.