Introduction:
Identity has been in the news quite a lot, of late. The reality of an “identity crisis” among our children and youth in our culture has become a political issue that challenges many and has led to some drama among our legislators. There are many facets to this issue: race, sexuality, culture, religion, nationality…and the list can go on. This identity crisis has spilled over into the Church, with major denominations dividing over issues of same-sex marriage, homosexual membership and leadership, among other things. At the root of this debate, for the Christian, is a decision about scripture and its authority.
Suffice it to say, at Freedom Church, we choose to believe that scriptural authority supersedes cultural norms and practices. We believe that our moral anchor (not compass) rests in the truth revealed through God’s Word, Jesus, and the scriptures. We have an unwavering faith in our Creator that worked through human agency to deliver to us all truth necessary for life and godliness within the pages of the bible and gave us a conscience (our moral compass) that, by the Holy Spirit, will constantly point us to the author and perfecter of our faith, Jesus. So, when we talk about Christian identity, it begins and ends there.
We live in an age described in 2 Timothy 3:1-5:
You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come. 2 For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them! (NRSV)
Understand, Timothy is not describing those outside the church, here. He is describing those who have pitched their tent among believers, but they are masqueraders. These folks identify as Christian, holding on to an outward form of godliness. The tragedy is, the people described here are deceived, as many are today. The key phrases here; they are lovers of themselves and pleasure rather than lovers of God. There are many within the Church, today, who have abandoned a love for God and replaced it with self-love and pleasure, becoming an idol to themselves. They have adopted a set of ideals that place self-esteem and self-satisfaction above the authority of God’s Word as an objective standard.
This is the ultimate identity crisis. It supersedes gender, race, and nationality. It is not a temporal issue, but an eternal one. That is why, this week, we are diving into our identity in Christ. The key is simple, LOVE. The application is FAITH. The result is GLORY. Welcome to week Six.
First Study: Love Received
READ:
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. -John 3:16
But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. – 1 John 3:1 (NRSV)
DECIDE:
The good news of the Gospel truth is a message of love, first and foremost. This love, the grace of almighty God, does not deny the reality of sin. This love is steadfast and true, even in the face of the most terrible sin. This love is eternal, because it is the very character of God. This love was not meant to be hoarded, but to be shared, which motivated God to create the earth and our first parents, Adam and Eve, in the first place. This love, after creation was infected with the vile sickness of sin, pursued humanity in the midst of grave darkness and chaos. This love pursued a plan, conceived in eternity before the earth was even created, that would cost our Creator everything He could give, in Jesus, God in the flesh, coming to earth to die for our sin. We, the enemies of God, become the children of God through faith, only by His love. We have not earned His love, He has given it freely. We have not deserved His love, He has offered it in mercy. God LOVES YOU, Period, end of sentence, no qualifier. God LOVES YOU.
DECLARE:
GOD
LOVES
ME.
Enemy or friend, God loves me.
Sinner or saint, God loves me.
In hope or despair, God loves me.
When grieving or rejoicing, God loves me.
In sickness and in health, God loves me.
Nothing. Nothing. Absolutely nothing will ever separate me from the love of God.
“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:35-39 (NRSV)
DEVOTE:
How do we demonstrate our love for one another?
What does “grace” mean”? (unconditional love, love that we cannot earn, God’s love”
Think and talk about what it means to be transformed from enemies to children of God…
PRAY:
God, our Creator and Sustainer, You have loved us for an eternity. I cannot even understand that, because I am so small. Your love is greater than anything I can say or do. You have shown Your love to me in so many ways, but, most importantly, You showed Your love when You came in Jesus and died on the cross for the sins of the world. You gave Your only son, Jesus, so that I would not die in my sins, but have eternal life with You. Thank You, God. I love You. Help me see the ways I can show my love for You, Lord. In Jesus, lovely name. Amen.
Study Two: Love Given
READ:
7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. – 1 John 4:7-12
10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. -Romans 13:10
14 Let all that you do be done in love.
– 1 Corinthians 16:14 (NRSV)
DECLARE:
Identity is rooted in purpose. When we consider the purpose we were placed on this earth, there is one chief purpose for which were created. It is stated simply in this question and answer. What is the chief purpose of humanity? The chief purpose of humanity is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. That is the relationship Adam and Eve had with their Creator. The picture we are given in Genesis is one of consistent face-to-face fellowship, walking and talking together in the paradise called the garden of Eden. That fellowship was broken by sin and God came in Jesus to restore that relationship. For that to happen, we hade to be made new. New life in Jesus is what we enjoy. We are precious and valued children of God. How does that play out in the everyday? Read the scriptures again, declaring them loudly over you and your family. That same power that raised Jesus from the dead, the Holy Spirit, has raised you to new life with a new will and motivation: LOVE.
DEVOTE:
What are specific ways we can show love to our “neighbors”? (include family, friends, church family, community)
Done in love challenge: Throughout the week, pray before each interaction for the Lord to help you think, say, and do everything in love as you deal with each person. Take time to talk about it as a family.
PRAY:
Lord, You have shown us what it means to love. You came and laid down Your life for us. Now, we know that love calls us to do the same for others. Help us to make choices to show our love to our family and friends. Help us to say and do things that will not do harm, but accomplish good in our school, our job, and our community. Empower us to even make sacrifices for others, recognizing that You are glorified in those times and Your gospel is proclaimed loudly through those actions. We love You, Lord. Help us to love our “neighbor” in ways that make an eternal difference in their lives. Through Jesus, we pray, Amen.