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TRUE IDENTITY

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3“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,” PSALMS 8:3 NKJV

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3 “The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,” PSALMS 8:3 NKJV

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PSALMS 8:4 NKJV 4 “What is man that You are mindful of him,”

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4 “And the son of man that You visit him?” PSALMS 8:4 NKJV

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5 “For You have made him a little lower than the angels,” PSALMS 8:5 NKJV

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5 “And You have crowned him with glory and honor.” PSALMS 8:5 NKJV

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6 “You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; PSALMS 8:6 NKJV

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6 “You have put all things under his feet.” PSALMS 8:6 NKJV

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Most people do not have a healthy perspective of themselves in relation to God.

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Some people think to little of themselves – that is self- loathing.

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Some people think to little of themselves – that is self- loathing.

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Then some people think to highly of themselves – that is called narcisism– an over inflated ego.

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But when you stop to truly think about who we are as humans it can be staggering.

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In all of creation, we seem to be little tiny specks in the great expanse of the awe inspiring cosmos.

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Many of us have stared into space, or been on a mountain top and asked the question, “In all of this – what am I.”

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Many of us have stared into space, or been on a mountain top and asked the question, “In all of this – what am I.”

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“In all of this – what am I?.”

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Many of us have stared into space, or been on a mountain top and asked the question, “In all of this – what am I.”

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We have an image, a position and a place far above anything else, including the angels.

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That is hard for us little humans to fathom, but we are made in such a way that only us humans can do.

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We have the capacity for a RELATIONSHIP with the Creator.

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This realization as David understands our human position above all other creation and before God causes his outburst of -

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“O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Thy name in all the earth!”

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We were made as God’s crowning achievement yet we distorted this position and we are placed back in the right position by Jesus…

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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.

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1 WE ARE CREATED TO REFLECT GOD’S IMAGE: TRUE IDENTITY

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EPHESIANS 5:1 TPT 1 “Be imitators of God in everything you do,”

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1 “For then you will represent your Father as His beloved sons and daughters.” EPHESIANS 5:1 TPT

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2 “And continue to walk surrendered to the extravagant love of Christ,” EPHESIANS 5:2 TPT

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2 “For He surrendered His life as a sacrifice for us.” EPHESIANS 5:2 TPT

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2 “His great love for us was pleasing to God,” EPHESIANS 5:2 TPT

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2 “Like an aroma of adoration —a sweet healing fragrance.” EPHESIANS 5:2 TPT

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God created us in His image and commands us to be like Him.

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Paul writing to the believers in Ephesus, telling them the same thing.

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He is giving them a hint as how they are to live.

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He is straightforward in telling them, "Imitate God."

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That is what we are to do as born-again believers in Jesus Christ.

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When we become children of God

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We are to become IMITATORS OF HIM.

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What Paul is saying to the believers in Ephesus is, “Be like God.”

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Jesus set the example... He showed us how to be live holy lives.

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WE’RE TO WALK IN LOVE just as Christ walked in love – a sacrificial love.

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When we imitate Jesus, we become role models for others to follow.

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We are to be like God and God is love – God’s love is an agape love.

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We are to be like God and God is love – God’s love is an agape love.

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WE’RE TO LOVE OTHERS WITH A PERFECT LOVE – God’s agape love.

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We are to love in the same way Christ loved us; UNCONDITIONALLY.

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Jesus willingly went to the cross only because He loved us.

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This type of love offers a sweet aroma to the Lord.

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ROMANS 5:8 TPT “But Christ proved God’s passionate love for us..”

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ROMANS 5:8 TPT “By dying in our place while we were still lost and ungodly!”

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God loved us even while we were sinners... We were His enemies.

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We are commanded to love others, which means everyone, with that same kind of love.

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We are to be reflections of that love in this world.

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Jesus commanded us to “love one another” just as He loved us.

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We may not always agree with others, but we can always love them.

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DOES THE WAY YOU LIVE serve as a witness to Christ?

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LET US LOVE LIKE JESUS LOVES.

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LET US LIVE LIKE JESUS LIVED.

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LET US BE HOLY LIKE JESUS IS HOLY.

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Let us strive daily to Be Like God.

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1 WE ARE CREATED TO REFLECT GOD’S IMAGE:

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PROVERBS 16:9 AMP 9 “A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life],”

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PROVERBS 16:9 AMP 9 “But the LORD directs his steps and establishes them.”

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PSALMS 33:11 TPT 11 “His destiny-plan for the earth stands sure.”

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PSALMS 33:11 TPT 11 “His forever-plan remains in place and will never fail.”

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God has a specialized plan so you can reach your destiny.

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Jonah had a plan to flee from God’s call and deny his calling.

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Jonah set his plan to go to Tarshish instead of Nineveh.

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God had a plan for Jonah – to teach him obedience.

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God’s plan for Jonah was not Nineveh, It was to teach him obedience.

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God’s plan for Jonah was not Nineveh, It was to teach him obedience.

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God’s plans alone prevail.

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PROVERBS 16:1 To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue.

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PROVERBS 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

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PROVERBS 19:21 Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

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PROVERBS 16:3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

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PSALM 20:4 May He give you the desire of your heart (put the desires in your heart) and make all your plans succeed.

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JOB 5:12 He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.

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ISAIAH 8:10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.

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PROVERBS 21:30 There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.

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ISAIAH 14:26 NLT 26 I have a plan for the whole earth, a hand of judgment upon all the nations.”

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ISAIAH 14:27 NLT 27 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has spoken—”

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ISAIAH 14:27 NLT 27 “Who can change His plans? When His hand is raised, who can stop him?”

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3 WE ARE CREATED FOR GOD’S PURPOSE: TRUE IDENTITY

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EPHESIANS 2:10 AMP 10 “For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art],”

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EPHESIANS 2:10 AMP 10 “Created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed..]”

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EPHESIANS 2:10 AMP 10 “[renewed, ready to be used] for good works…”

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EPHESIANS 2:10 AMP 10 “Which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set],”

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EPHESIANS 2:10 AMP 10 “So that we would walk in them [living the good life..]

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EPHESIANS 2:10 AMP 10 “[Which He prearranged and made ready for us].

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Have you ever asked, “What is my purpose in life?”

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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.

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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.

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But none of these bring meaning or purpose to life.

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Whoever you are—whatever your life experiences, talents, physical ability, or role—you have a purpose.

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GOD PREPARED GOOD WORKS for you and me to do in this life,

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And discovering what those good works are can be a lot like a treasure hunt.

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A thrilling adventure to uncover who we are and what God has called us and uniquely gifted us to do.

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ECCLESIASTES 12:13 NIV “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:”

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ECCLESIASTES 12:13 NIV “Fear God and keep His commandments,”

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ECCLESIASTES 12:13 NIV “For this is the duty of all mankind.”

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ECCLESIASTES 12:14 NIV “For God will bring every deed into judgment,”

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ECCLESIASTES 12:14 NIV “Including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

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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.

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Literally, to fear God and keep his commands is the “whole” of man -

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TO FEAR GOD & KEEP HIS COMMANDS is the “whole” of man

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It is the complete summary of what we are to be about.

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More important than anything else in life, is fearing and serving God.

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Those who fear God, who serve him, and who enjoy life every day are the happiest people on earth

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Because they know that whether rich or poor, whether a blue collar garbage collector or a white collar brain surgeon

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when we are serving God faithfully, we have all the meaning and purpose in life we could ever ask for.

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“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)

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CONCLUSION CONCLUSION

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The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God created man and that He created him for His glory.

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The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God created man and that He created him for His glory.

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Therefore, the ultimate purpose of man, according to the Bible, is simply to glorify God.

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THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OF MAN, Is to glorify God.

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We fulfill our purpose of glorifying God also by living our lives in relationship and faithful service to Him.

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There was once a young Jewish boy who lived in Germany.

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His father was a successful merchant, and the family practiced their Jewish faith.

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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.

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The young boy was very surprised and asked his father why the family was joining the Lutheran church.

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His father’s answer was something like, “For business reasons.”

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There are so many Lutherans in this town that I can make good business contacts at the Lutheran church.

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It will be good for business. That young boy, who had had such a deep interest in religion, became disillusioned.

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He thought his father had no real convictions. The incident helped to turn him against religion with a vengeance.

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He would later move to England and begin to write.

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His name was Karl Marx and he became the father of Communism.

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His name was Karl Marx and he became the father of Communism.

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He wrote the “Communist Manifesto” wherein he called religion the “opiate of the masses.”

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TRUE IDENTITY & MEANING IN LIFE Is not found in what the world considers important.

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TRUE IDENTITY & MEANING IN LIFE Is found in a relationship with God

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through FAITH in JESUS CHRIST.