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Let us pray. Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning, for in Thee do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my soul unto Thee. Psalm 143.8 Dear God, allow Your light to shine upon me this morning. Today is a new day, filled with endless opportunities to be kind to others. Allow my thoughts to be present with You before I begin my day.
Guide me with your righteous hand so that I may stay on the right path today. Allow my words to be kind so that I may always put a smile on others' faces. Allow my thoughts to be encouraging so that I can begin my day with confidence. Amen. Thank you for listening to today's daily prayer. For more inspiration and an incredible message from our feature pastor, stay tuned to Pray.com's Sunday service.
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Aljua HealthShare, where we care for one another. This morning, we're going to continue in our sermon series on life redefined. Today, we're talking about the third question, biblical identity. Who am I? Who am I? These are the eight key questions for spiritual formation. Biblical theology, who is God?
And biblical allegiance, who is truly my master in life? And thirdly, biblical identity, who am I? Now, why are these questions important? Because these are important because we want to explore how we ought to grow as a disciple of Christ. It begins by acknowledging who God is.
Because who God is determines who is truly the master of my life. I have to examine my heart. Do I know this God of the Bible? And if this God of the Bible is truly Lord, is he Lord of my life? Is he master of my life? Am I living life on my terms or am I living life on his terms? Therefore, if you truly acknowledge who God is,
You are asked the question, who is truly the master in life? At the same time, when you acknowledge who your master is, it leads to biblical identity. Who am I? You know, a story was told of a long line in the check-in counter at the airport. The passengers have been waiting for hours and the queue doesn't seem to move.
There was one businessman dressed in a business suit carrying his briefcase. He walked straight up to the check-in counter and demanded to know, "What's going on? Do you know who I am?" At that moment, the airport staff just turned on the intercom and announced to everyone who was standing on the queue, "Ladies and gentlemen, does anyone know who this man is? He seems to have forgotten his identity."
I want you to listen to me. Do you know who I am? That's what people always talk about when they are talking about themselves, their identity. I want to give you some questions to explore. How would you identify yourself? Am I what I do? Am I what I own? Am I what I want?
Am I my past? Am I what others tell me I am? Think about this. Am I what I do? You know, you are responsible for what you do, but what you do cannot truly define who you are. Am I what I own? You know, your worth is not tied up to your possessions or what you own. Your possessions or your purchasing power does not define your identity.
Am I what I want? You know, many times people think, "These are my personal ambitions. This is what I'm trying to become, and I'm pursuing my carnal ambitions." But once they pursue these things, they know that it truly doesn't satisfy. Therefore, these things are fleeting. That's why it cannot define who you are. Am I my past? Yes, you can be shaped by your past, but you can certainly not be defined by your past.
Am I what others tell I am? Can I humbly say this? Your opinion, what others think of you will always keep changing from time to time. That's why you and I cannot base our identity on these things that are fleeting and doesn't satisfy. So what is biblical identity? Who am I? That question can only be addressed in our relationship to Jesus.
You know, biblical identity is based on knowing Jesus and being known by him. Let me give you a principle. Our identity is defined by our relationship to Jesus. It is not about who we are. It's always about whose we are. Let me say that again. It's not about who you are. It is about whose you are.
In other words, your identity is defined by your relationship to Jesus. Hallelujah. I want to take you to a passage of scripture. It is a very familiar passage and it's a passage that's very close to my heart. And I want to show you from Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20, how Apostle Paul identified himself. Because in this passage, he actually shares about the radical reorientation of his identity.
And from this study, I want you to discover how relationship with Jesus defines our identity. Let's look at it. Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20 says this, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
Let me give you the background of Paul. Paul was a Pharisee. He was a Roman citizen by birth. Now, how did he get his Roman citizenship? Maybe his parents or his grandparents were bestowed, were conferred this citizenship. Maybe they did something great or maybe they had a great benefactor. Whatever it is, they were conferred Roman citizenship. So he must have come from a very wealthy family.
Now, even though he was born in Tarsus, we can clearly tell that he was raised in Jerusalem because he must have had some sort of family connections because he studied under the famous Gamaliel, the rabbi Gamaliel. Now, Paul defines himself like this in Philippians. I'm the Hebrew of Hebrews.
In other words, he adhered to the Judaistic rituals, Judaistic way of life very strictly. And therefore, he gained that thing, Hebrew of Hebrews. At the same time, you and I, we need to understand that Saul was treated special in Jerusalem.
He might have had familiarity with the high priest in Jerusalem through family connections. So I would even imagine that Paul may have been there on the day of crucifixion. He might have been there on the trial and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. So in Paul's mind, Jesus was an apostate. He was a Jewish criminal and he needed to be dealt with and he needed to be crucified.
But only on the way to Damascus, on the road to Damascus, Paul encounters this Jesus, whom he thought was a crucified criminal. He only realized that day that he is the exalted Messiah. As a result, the Bible says his life was radically changed.
I want you to think about how radically his change was because he not only acknowledged Jesus, who this man who is an apostate and a crucified criminal, from crucified criminal, he became the exalted Messiah, the Lord of Paul's life. Not only that, he not only became Paul's Lord, but he also changed his view about himself. He says, I'm a servant of Christ, a bondservant, a slave of Christ.
So I want you to take you to Galatians 2.20 for this study and look in detail how he identifies himself. I want to give you three principles that pertain to biblical identity. Number one, our identity in Christ living the distinct life. Paul says, I have been crucified. No longer I who live.
You look at that in Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20. I have been crucified with Christ. Circle that word crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. In other words, Paul had this view of himself. My identity changed the day I encountered Christ. The day I encountered Christ, my identity no longer belonged to me. It was in association with Christ.
See, human beings naturally attach their identity to what they do, what they have, all these things. But Paul says, my identity is tied up with Christ. See, in Paul's mind, Christ is his Messiah.
And Christ being his Messiah, he's not only the Messiah, but he's also the creator. I'm created for him. I am redeemed for him by his blood. Therefore, I'm owned by Christ. So my identity is tied with Christ. And the language Paul uses, it's a definitive word that Paul uses, is crucified. Crucified.
He says, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. I want you to think about that word crucified. It is a compound word in the Greek. It actually denotes two things. It denotes union with Christ, a complete full union with him, but it also denotes a communion with Christ. It also denotes the oneness.
In other words, togetherness. I'm together, co-crucified with Christ. That's why Paul uses this term, no longer together.
See, whenever you think about this, Christian life is a life that is a before and an after. You know, why do we ask new believers to share their testimony? They usually share before I met Christ and after I met Christ. Why? Because when I met Christ or when Christ found me, there was a decisive change in my life. There was a definite change. There was a transformation.
In other places, Paul actually uses that word, I have been delivered from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of his son. In other words, when I met Christ, I have been delivered. When I met Christ, I have been totally transformed. I'm saved. Old is gone. The new has come. That's why Paul highlights here by saying, no longer.
I want you to circle those two words, no longer. Can you definitely say about your Christian life that there was a before and an after? There is a distinctiveness about your Christian life. I lived like this. I used to live like this, but now I live like this and they both are very separate. I want you to think about this because one of the things that burdens our life, one of the things that burdens my heart as a disciple-making pastor is this,
that carnality has robbed the church of its power. Carnality has robbed the church of its distinctiveness. See, only when we are separate from the world, only when our life is distinct, then we can be the church. You know, like one of these theologians said, when I was looking for the church, I found it in the world. When I was looking for the world, I found it in the church. How sad is that?
that the church is full of the world. That means worldliness have crept in. See, Jesus said to us that you are the salt of the earth. You, plural, collectively, the church is the salt of the earth. Why does he say salt? Because salt is unique. He wasn't just thinking about the usefulness of salt, but he was thinking about the uniqueness of salt. There's nothing like salt. And he says you are unique, unique.
That means you are distinct. He was talking about the distinctiveness of church. But today, when you see the global church, the global church is losing that distinctiveness. You know, many people will look at the church and say, the church has a lack of depth. I agree. The church has a lack of depth. That's why in our conferences, we always keep calling the church to come back to deepening their life in the word of God, deepening the church through the word of God.
There is a lack of depth, but can I humbly say this? Much more than the lack of depth, there is a lack of distinctiveness. You and I, we need to understand. Paul says, no longer. I used to be that way, but when I met Christ, I have been crucified with him. I no longer live, but Christ now lives in me. Hallelujah.
You know, when I visited London, I had the privilege of visiting George Mueller's home in Bristol. George Mueller was a man who God used mightily. In his journal, George Mueller writes like this: "There was a day when George Mueller died. There was a day when George Mueller died. He submitted his will to God. His agenda changed from self to God. His ambition was transformed, and as a result,
He could no longer live the way he used to live, but there was a definite change. Look at how he wrote about himself in this book. Let's read it. Now my life became very different.
Verse 1.
prayed often, loved the brethren, went to church from right motives, and stood on the side of Christ, though laughed at by my fellow students. Can you see the picture? There was a definite change in his life. It's like this. When you walk on the road and you're hit by a truck, an 18-wheeler comes and hits you. When you wake up from that, your life is no longer the same.
You can never go back to business as usual. Why? Because something has happened. The same thing can be said of salvation. You are now translated from death to life, from error to truth. There is something fundamentally shifted about you. The old is gone and the new has come. And Paul identifies himself as someone who has been crucified with Christ. So my question to you this morning is this.
Are you identified with Christ or just interested in Christ? Would you be able to say boldly, pastor, I no longer live. It is Christ who lives in me and through me. My identification is with Christ. You know, that being crucified is almost like saying I'm pregnant. You cannot be little bit pregnant.
Either you're pregnant or you're not pregnant. You cannot be a little bit pregnant. The same way, either you're crucified or you're not. You cannot be a little bit crucified. That's why you and I, we need to understand this question. Are you interested in Christ or are you truly identified in Christ? The second thing that we can learn from this passage is our imitation of Christ. Living the directed life. The life I now live, I live by faith, Paul says.
See, you and I got to think about the life. The moment a person comes to faith in Christ, that person dies together with Christ. They're crucified with Christ. Their identity is now tied up with him. And Paul says, my identity is I'm a servant of Christ. I'm a slave of Christ. That means I want to be directed by him.
That's why he says in Galatians 2.20, the second part, and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God. Hallelujah. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God. Hallelujah. You know, Paul is like this, just like the apostles when they were called by Jesus.
The Bible says they left everything. Immediately, they left their nets and followed him. I shared with you in the first lesson that they followed Christ fully. They followed Christ gladly and they followed Christ only. In the same manner here, Paul immediately chooses to follow him, to be directed by him.
See, this is what you and I, we need to understand. See, Christian believers, many will say, many people, many Christians will say, I like Jesus, but many people may not, they are not like Jesus. Let me say that again. Many Christians may like Jesus, but they are certainly not like Jesus. In other words, there's something about their life that hasn't been transformed.
You know, one of the core things is to be like Jesus, to become more and more like Him, and to ultimately become Christ-like. That's the end goal of discipleship. That I just don't just follow Christ, but I'm continually being mastered by Christ until I become Christ-like. And the way you now do that is when you become determinate.
When you now tie yourself in your identity with Christ, and now you say, I am not only identified with him, I want to imitate him. I want to live a directed life. Not only a distinctive life, but a directed life. And the Bible says here, I now live. Look at that verse. I want you to circle those three words. I now live.
In those three words, there is a determination. There is a decisiveness that he says, I cannot go about business as usual because my life no longer belongs to me. My life belongs to the one who was crucified together with me. I was crucified with him. Therefore, the life I now live, there is a determination. There is a decisiveness. And you know what is the defining mark of that decisiveness?
It is a life of faith. That's why he says, I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Now, how do you define faith? If that is the defining mark of a Christian, the Bible says in the Old Testament, by faith, that just shall live by faith. How do you define faith? Faith is this, to hear God and to obey him. Whenever you hear him, you obey him. In other words, when you know that he's your master,
When you know that you are truly identified with Him, you put aside your own perceived personal rights, your personal ambitions, and you now die to yourself and you embrace His vision, His mission for your life. Therefore, what happens? He directs your life. Hallelujah. It involves laying down our life completely for Him.
laying down our heart completely for him, to love what he loves, to hate what he hates, to go after things that he goes after, to do what he has called you to do. That is being directed by him. You know, when I think of this, I think of the testimony of Adoniram Judson. Adoniram Judson was a missionary to Burma.
At the age of 25, he left North America to actually be a missionary to India, but he ended up by divine appointment in Burma. Now, before he left for Burma, actually he stayed there for 40 years. And before he left, he fell in love with a girl named Anne. So he wanted to propose to her and bring her along with him in this missionary journey. And this is how he proposed to her.
"Give me your hand to go with me to the jungles of Asia and there die with me for the cause of Christ." I want you to let that sink in. "Give me your hand to go with me to the jungles of Asia and there die with me for the cause of Christ." Anne eventually said yes, and they got married.
They sailed together and they ended up in Burma. When they came to Burma, there was no other believers. So the first communion they ever had, it was twosome. Just the two of them had communion, break bread before the Lord. Now that Anne did eventually die. And not only Anne, even Adoniram Judson's second wife, along with six out of their 13 children died.
I want you to listen to me. Judson suffered illness, imprisonment, chains, and filth. And this is what they say. He was actually thrown in a prison that was vermin ridden. It was called a death prison. And he was held there for 17 months during the Anglo-Burmese War. And one of the fellow prisoners looked at him and asked him this question. So what's the prospect of conversion of this heathen? You know what he said?
He instantly replied, the prospects are just as bright as the promises of God. Now that is faith. In the thrown in prison, lost wife, even the second one, lost six out of 13 children. And yet he kept his faith because he knew God had called him and directed him to be there. Now, when he died, there were 7,000 baptized believers in 63 churches.
That's his legacy. And today there are more than 3 million Burmese Christians as a result. That's the life that is directed by Jesus. He identified himself with Christ, crucified with him, therefore now being directed by him to do his will. I want you to listen to me carefully. Faith sometimes is seen as, oh, I believed God for an airplane. Oh, I believed God for this. I believed God for that.
Faith is taught in many circles as something that you give to God to receive from him. Listen carefully. Faith is holding on to him. Faith is trusting in him and believing in him and having a confidence in his word that he will stay true to his word. That when you step out and do his will, that he will look after you. And that is faith. And even when things don't go the way you want it to go.
you still hold on to him and say, Lord, I hold on to you. That's faith. I want you to listen to me carefully. Let me ask you this reflection question. How crucified are you to follow Christ in faith? How crucified are you to follow Christ in faith? In other words, what is he asking you to step up and do in this season?
What is it that you have been procrastinating? What is it that you have been shunning? What is that one area that where he says, I want you to let go and let God and trust me and step out in faith and do this for me. And you have been holding back. Ask God. Because if you're identified with him, you are crucified with him. You live that you're called to live a distinct life. You're called to live a directed life. Thirdly, our indebtedness to Christ, living the devoted life.
who loved me and gave himself for me. I want you to think about this. Paul writes in Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20, the last part, he says, the Lord who loved me and gave himself for me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. How good is that?
He recognizes that not only he is crucified with Christ, that his identity is in Christ, not only that he is called to live a directed life, to imitate Christ, to be Christ-like in the day-to-day life, but he also recognized that he is the beloved of God, that God has given him the love of God.
The Bible says he loved me. Christ loved me and gave himself for me. See, Christian life begins by this. Not what I can do for him, but what he has done for me. To recognize that he has given himself for me, that he has given all of himself. Therefore, in return, I give all of myself to him. Listen carefully. Many times we have received from God love.
but then we forget God. We are taken by the gifts he gives and we forget the giver. We seek after the blessing of God, but we forget the one who blessed us. That's the human nature. The human nature is always self-seeking, self-preservation. It's always about self-preoccupation. That's the narcissistic way of life.
But what God is inviting us to is to recognize that our identity is tied up with him. You are crucified with him. Now you are directed by him. You are a servant of Christ. That's your identity to do his will, to do the master's will. And now he's saying, it's not just that you are a servant, but you are a beloved. That the more you recognize who he is and what he has done, automatically you will come to him.
But as I said before, many times believers fall in love with what God has given them rather than falling in love with him. It's almost like this. See, if I go and buy a very, very expensive diamond ring for my wife, I buy it, say it's $50,000 worth. I buy a very expensive diamond ring and I bring it to her. It's in the original box that it came from.
I come and offer it to her. Honey, I love you so much. And to express my love for you, I give you this diamond ring. And she opens the diamond ring and she looks at the box in which it came from, that velvet box, that beautiful. It's so soft to touch. It's beautiful. And what she does is she takes this diamond ring, puts it aside, and she says, I love this box. Thank you so much. I love it. Thank you, Paul.
I want you to listen to me. You and I, we'll be laughing because the box is not the gift. The diamond ring is the gift. Sometimes it's like this. God has blessed us with so much. We get caught up in the box. We lose the diamond. We lose sight of what is actually precious, what is actually the thing that He wants you to focus on. See, He loves you. You could be even working for Him
But can I humbly say this? Are you doing that work out of love for him or out of duty?
See, you and I, we need to recognize the first call of the kingdom is not just advance the kingdom of God. The first call of the kingdom is to abide in the king so that you can advance his kingdom. The first call is to come back to him. That's the last days, the message to the church. Jesus says in Revelation, when he writes to the seven churches, he says, come back to me, return to me, return back to your first love. Know that you are loved. Know that you're precious in his sight.
I want you to recognize this church. He says, the one who loved me and gave himself for me. And because he loved me and gave himself for me, therefore, I'm going to love him and give myself to him. Praise God. You know, there is an Old Testament passage where it speaks about how a servant ought to be treated in a household.
In Exodus chapter 21, right after the law was given in chapter 20, God gives this first command, this about the social life. How would you treat a slave? Say an owner bought a slave in the Agora, in the marketplace. He brings him into his house and the servant serves him for six years. At the end of six years, the seventh year, that slave is free to go. But in the meantime, the master had given him a wife.
Maybe she's another slave that he bought, but now he is giving it to this man as a wife. And this slave gave birth to children. Now on the seventh year, the man leaves by himself. The slave is free to go by himself. The master will own the wife and the children. Now here, the slave has a choice.
So this is what the Bible says in verse 5 and verse 6. But if the slave plainly says, I love my master, I love my wife, I love my children, I will not go free. Then his master shall bring him to God and he shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost and his master shall bore his year with an owl and he shall be his slave forever.
I want you to think about this beautiful picture. This man has earned his freedom. He has served his master six years. On the seventh year, he's free to go. But you know what he says? On the seventh year, instead of him going away, he turns around and he says, I love my master. I love my wife. I love my children. Therefore, I voluntarily come back to be a slave forever.
Therefore, the master brings him to the doorpost and he will put a hole in his ear. In other words, when you go to the marketplace, you see many slaves, but you see certain slaves who have a ring here on the ear.
And that ring in the year represents that there is a hole in their year. That means they chose not to go free, but to remain a slave in the master's house. Why? Not because of duty, but because they are loved. Because they love the master. I want you to think about this. That's exactly the picture Paul carries here. God gave me freedom.
He forgave me of my sin. He released me from my bondage. All my curse is removed. All my brokenness is healed. He has come into my life, transformed me. And now he says, you have freedom. And out of this freedom, I choose to be his servant. Hallelujah. You know, that's actually the picture of Jesus Christ. Jesus did that.
You know, the Bible says in Psalm 40 and verse 6 and to verse 8, in sacrifice and offering, you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burn offering and sin offering, you have not required. Then I said, behold, I have come in the scroll of the book. It is written of me. I will delight to do your will. Oh my God, your law is within my heart. I want you to listen to me.
This speaks of Jesus. It's a prophetic messianic Psalm. It says that one day Jesus will come offerings and sacrifices. God did not desire, but a year you have opened for me. In other words, I've come to do your will. Jesus says, and how did he do God's will? He was taken to the door post and his year was pierced. Just like that slave.
But you know, the writer to Hebrews takes this prophetic imagery and he uses it in Hebrews chapter 10. Look at verse 5 to verse 7.
Consequently, when Christ came into the world, Christ said this, Jesus said this, In other words, when Jesus came into the world, just like that Hebrew slave, he willingly went back.
And he got his ear pierced. Psalm 40 says his ear was pierced. Hebrews chapter 10 says his body that was prepared was pierced. Was his body pierced? Absolutely. It's like this. Jesus could have walked away anytime without dying on the cross. He could have said, I'm free to do whatever I want. But you know what he said? I love my master. I love my wife. I love my children. Therefore, my ear is going to be pierced.
And he remains a servant even today. You know, John saw in the book of Revelation, Jesus had a golden sash around his waist, symbolizing he is there representing us in heaven. And he has a sash around his waist to show that he's still serving his people today. Hallelujah. You and I are his body.
You and I are his bride. You and I are his children. You and I are his prized possession. He's still serving us. And the Bible says he gave himself completely for us. That's why in turn, we completely give ourselves for him. Earlier, I shared with you about Adoniram Judson, how he proposed to Anne.
You know, when he proposed to his wife, Anne, she actually turned him down. She actually said to him, you need to ask my father's permission first. So he didn't have the guts to ask the father in person. So he wrote a letter.
And this is the letter he wrote. I want you to read this. This is the letter that Adoniram Judson wrote to his future father-in-law to ask for consent to marry Anne, his daughter. Look at what he wrote. I have now to ask whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world, whether you can consent to her departure to a heathen land and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life.
Whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean, to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India, to every kind of want and distress, to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death.
Can you consent to all this for the sake of him who left his heavenly home and died for her and for you, for the sake of perishing immortal souls, for the sake of Zion and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory with a crown of righteousness brightened by the accolades of praise, which shall resound to her savior from heathen saved?
through her means from eternal woe and despair. I want you to listen to me. Can you consent to all of this for the sake of him who left his heavenly home and died for her, for the sake of perishing immortal souls, for the sake of Zion and the glory of God? What a beautiful letter. Can you see that church?
He wrote like that so that he reminded the father-in-law and the father-in-law could not make that decision. He actually called Anne and said to her, it's up to you. If you want to follow him to India, go for it. And she did. I want you to listen to me carefully. Who am I? Biblical identity. Who am I? That question can only be identified, that can only be answered by your relationship to Christ.
That's why in closing, let me share this with you. There's only one thing you and I need to understand. What is the key to biblical identity? What is the key to biblical identity? The key to biblical identity is double crucifixion. Double crucifixion. What do I mean by double crucifixion? In Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20, Paul writes and says, "'I have been crucified with Christ.'"
It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I want you to think about this. I've been crucified with Christ. Secondly, it is not only I have been crucified with Christ. The Bible says in Galatians chapter 6 and verse 14, but far be it...
but far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Listen carefully. That is a double crucifixion. I'm crucified with Christ and Christ and I are crucified together. But it also means I have crucified to the world and the world is crucified to me. The first one speaks of Christ
I'm crucified with Christ. It speaks of a complete union with someone. I'm crucified to the world. Speaks of a complete separation from something. You and I, we need to recognize this. That you and I as believers in Christ, we have a biblical theology. What is the theology? Who is God? And who God is? This God of the Bible who created me, who sent his son to redeem me because he owns me twice.
Therefore, I need to acknowledge biblical allegiance. He is truly my master in life. And when I recognize that He is not only a God of the Bible, He is my God, He is not only a God, but He is my master, He is my King in life. Therefore, it defines who I am. And I am a crucified one. And when you are a crucified one, you recognize this, that your life is not yours. You're called to live a distinct life, distinct from the rest of the world.
that you're called to live a directed life directed by him to obey him to fulfill his mission his will in your life therefore you are his i'm a bond servant i'm a slave of christ at the same time you're also a person who is beloved of god you're loved and knowing how much you are loved you love him in return you love him in return and as you love him in return
You come before God and you say, Lord, here is my life. You know, two speakers were speaking in a conference, C.T. Studd and F.B. Meyer. C.T. Studd is what they call a CIA. He was a missionary to China, India, and Africa. F.B. Meyer was a renowned teacher of the word. They were both invited to speak in the Kensington Convention. And as they were speaking, this is what happened. When F.B. Meyer spoke...
The entire audience were mesmerized by the oratory skills and the word and the depth of wisdom that came out of him. But when C.T. Studd came up on stage and spoke, just after 10 minutes, that whole place was filled with tears. People were weeping, people were crying. And after he spoke, C.T. Studd was going off the stage. F.B. Meyer approached him and said, "I want to learn why there is a difference between what happened when you spoke and what happened when I spoke."
What's the difference? Why is there a difference? And C.T. Studd looked at F.P. Meyer and said to him, "Have you given all your keys to Jesus?" In other words, He is your all. Whatever you do, you do for Him. Whoever you are, you are for Him. Whatever you do, you're doing it for Him. And when you have given all your keys to Jesus, that's how your life will be. I will have a reflection question for you. Have you given all your keys to Jesus?
You know, sometimes we hold back because we are afraid that if I give everything to Jesus, Jesus might tell me to leave my job, sell my house, give away everything, pack my bags, move to Timbuktu as a missionary. We have this view that God will somehow take everything away from us. Can I humbly say this? If he leads you to Timbuktu, Timbuktu will be heaven on earth for you.
But if you disobey God and stay where you are, you'll be a living hell. Listen carefully. Obeying Him, knowing who you are is the key. And knowing that I'm doubly crucified. I'm crucified together with Him and I'm crucified to the world and the world to me. Therefore, my life is not mine, my life is His. Therefore, I come before Him like that. And you know what? When you truly live like this, your life will be filled with meaning and purpose and victory.
Why I say victory? Because I want you to listen to this story. When Charlton Heston was filming this movie, Ben-Hur. In this movie, Ben-Hur, there's this famous scene where he has to win a chariot race. So all the chariots have been lined up and he has to win this race. And when Charlton Heston got on his chariot, he could hardly remain in the chariot. So he called the director and told the director,
If I can't even stand on this chariot, how am I going to win? And you know what the director replied to him? Your job is to hold on tight and stand there. My job is to make you win. Let that sink in. Your job and my job is to do the will of the Father. It's to be identified with Christ. It's to be directed by Christ. It's to be devoted to Christ. And as we live for Him, as we recognize we are the crucified one,
He will line up the victories for us. He will line up things that glorify Him, that edify the world. Why? Because He wants to live through you. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. Every head bow, every eye close all across this place. Ask yourself this question this morning. Who am I?
And if your answer is, I have a God in heaven who loves me, who created me and who sent his son to redeem me. Therefore, he is my God. And because he redeemed me, he's also my king, my master in life. And because of who he is, I am what I am. Because I am not defined by myself. I'm defined by the one who loved me and gave himself for me. It's not about who I am. It is about whose I am.
Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning. We ask that you open our eyes and give us listening ears and a heart that is willing to obey your word. Lord, to help us to recognize the state of our own soul. Sometimes we could be so caught up in the narcissistic way of life, being self-preoccupied that we have neglected to think about who Christ is and who we are in him and whose we are.
But today we come before you, Lord, to ask for your forgiveness. Cleanse us, forgive us of our sin. Cleanse us, mighty God, that we will become your centering. We are God-centered in our lives. We become Christ-mastered, that we are continually mastered by him to become Christ-like. That every single day of our life, we acknowledge that we are identified with him, that we are called to imitate him, that we are called to live a life that is indebted to him. Oh, we belong to you, Lord Jesus. Be glorified in our lives.
And today I pray for every single person under the sound of my voice, that Lord, that you will do that deep work throughout the season, that as we examine these questions, may it truly help us to get closer to you, to get back to you, to return back to that first love. We thank you. We praise you in Jesus' precious name. And the people of God said, amen and amen. Hallelujah.
The podcast, The Bible in a Year with Jack Graham, is a moving and inspiring biblical audio experience that will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you'll learn to apply biblical principles to everyday life.
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