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If you have a Bible with you, I would invite you to turn with me to Romans chapter number 8 this morning. Romans chapter 8. This summer I'm presenting a series of topical messages on our identity in Christ, asking the question each week, who am I? And then each week I'm answering that same question with the phrase, in Christ I am. Last week we answered the question, who am I? With the answer, in Christ I am a new creature. And one of the goals of this summer series is to provide a biblical response to the identity crisis that we all experience when we define ourselves by something other than our position in Christ. Let me explain. Most often we identify ourselves and we define ourselves by these things first, by our possessions. And we let our possessions become our identity when we use our house or car or clothes or toys to define who we are. You see, I'm the rich kid who always has the latest gadgets and the nicest things. I'm successful because I have the biggest house and the newest car in the neighborhood. We let our possessions define us. Secondly, we let our positions, our positions become our identity when we use our vocation or our careers to define who we are. I'm a doctor. I'm a lawyer. I'm a business owner. I'm a pastor. I've been promoted three times in the last three years, and I'm now senior executive vice president of the company. And we let our positions define us and become our identity. How about our popularity? We let our popularity become our identity when we use the approval of people and our public reputation to define us. for who we are. You see, when I throw a party, everyone wants to come to my house because I am popular. And I have more friends on social media than you do. And we let our popularity define us. How about this? Our purpose. We let our purpose become our identity when we use a cause to define who we are. And we might boast of our life mission statement that we can reduce to a hashtag. And we've convinced ourselves that if it wasn't for me, my family or my church or the world would fall apart because I am so indispensable to this cause. And actually you're not, but you are identified by that cause. And then of course we let our person become our identity when we allow our physical features and personality to define who we are. I'm an athlete. Or I'm a scholar. or I won the beauty pageant, or I'm a married man, or I'm the life of the party. And according to psychologists, we experience an identity crisis when there is a challenge to or a change in these defining areas of life. When these defining areas are challenged or change, our sense of self is lost and we can no longer identify ourselves by these things that used to define us. And we suffer an identity crisis. And this isn't only an adolescent thing. This is an adult matter as well. One of my childhood heroes was basketball legend Michael Jordan. And consequently, I enjoyed watching the recent ESPN miniseries, The Last Dance, that recounted Michael Jordan's career with the Chicago Bulls. Perhaps some of you watched that miniseries during your quarantine these past months. But it was ESPN senior writer, Wright Thompson, who spent some time with Michael Jordan following his 50th birthday. And here's what he wrote. ESPN senior writer Wright Thompson wrote this. He said, there's a fable about returning Roman generals who rode in victory parades through the streets of the capital. A slave stood behind them, whispering in their ears, all glory is fleeting. But nobody does that for professional athletes. Michael Jordan couldn't have known that the closest he'd get to immortality was during that final walk off the courts. All that can happen in the days and years that follow is for the shining monument he built to be chipped away, eroded. His self-esteem has always been, as he says, tied directly to the game. Without it, he feels adrift. Who am I? What am I doing? For the past many years, since retiring for the third time, he has been running, moving as fast as he could, creating distractions and distance. And as the flicker of immortality fades, Jordan stares in the mirror, wondering where to turn. I quote, he says, how can I enjoy the future without so much of this consuming me? How can I find peace away from the game of basketball? And folks, that is a midlife identity crisis. Yet as we learned last week, each of us have value because we are the crown of God's creation made in the image of God as human beings. And then as believers in Jesus Christ, we are now a new creation made in the likeness of Jesus Christ. And that gives us worth beyond any celebrity And so this morning, as we ask, who am I? We answer the question, in Christ, I am a child of God. And that identity is something that cannot be taken away from you if you've been born again by the Spirit of God. And better than being part of any royal family, a child of any king or queen, Being a child of God, the benefits are out of this world. And this morning I want to explain some of those benefits to you. Let's pray. Lord, I thank you so much for the opportunity we have in these moments to open your holy word, to be instructed by your Holy Spirit. Lord, to be reminded of our identity in Christ as children of God. I pray, Lord, that you would comfort us and encourage us, give us confidence in our inner man as we reflect on these things. For I pray it in Jesus' name, amen. Our primary text this morning will be Romans 8, verses 14 through 17, but we need to introduce and establish the theme of this context beginning back in Romans 8, verse number 1. Look there with me. Romans chapter 8, verse number 1, there is therefore now no condemnation, to those who are in Christ Jesus. Our position in Christ Jesus is accomplished by the ministry of the Holy Spirit. We call it the baptism of the Spirit. It first occurred on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2 as Jesus promised in Acts 1 verse number 5. And the baptism of the Spirit is that phenomenon that's described for us in 1 Corinthians 12, verses 12 and 13. The Holy Spirit of God places us into Jesus Christ. It follows then that Paul would reference the Holy Spirit after identifying us in Christ Jesus in verse number one. In fact, the Holy Spirit is mentioned one time in the first seven chapters of Romans, and now he is referenced 20 times. in Acts chapter 8 alone. And in these early verses of Romans 8, we read how that the Holy Spirit frees us from divine condemnation in verse number 1. We just read that. By justification in verse number 2. Through the means of substitution, verse number 3. For the purpose of sanctification in verse number 4. And these verses are worthy of our careful meditation, but for our purposes this morning we must press on. The Holy Spirit changes the believer in verses 5 through 11. And the Holy Spirit empowers the believer in verses 12 and 13. And then and now the Holy Spirit assures the believer of our positional relationship as sons of God beginning in verse number 14. That's where we pick up this morning. Romans 8 verse number 14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. And our positional identity as a child of God occurs when we are born again by the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus Christ. 1 John 5 verse 1, everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Galatians 3.26 says, for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. John 1.12, as many as received Him, to them He gave the right, the authority to become the children of God to those who believe in His name. And so by faith in Christ The Holy Spirit makes us children of God. I hope that's your testimony this morning. If that is not your testimony this morning, please reach out to me or others here so that we can show you from the scripture how you can be a child of God in Jesus Christ. But what does this positional identity do for us? What benefits or blessings does it have for us? And I would propose six for you this morning. First, number one, in Christ, I have family security. In Christ, I have family security. Now, when we think of security, we think of job security, or we think of financial security, or we think of social security, but in fact, there is no absolute, ultimate security in those things. Each of those things can change or be lost, but when we become a child of God, we are forever His own. We call it eternal security. Look at the end of Romans chapter eight. Look to verse 38. Romans 8, 38, for I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, or any other created thing, or any other thing that you can think of, shall be able to separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Folks, once you are a child of God, you are always a child of God. He holds you safely and securely in his hand, John chapter 10. You may disobey, you may rebel, you may wander or backslide, but your sonship is secure because your salvation is God's work and not your own. And a great Bible example of this is Jesus' parable of the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15. Because that parable is not so much about the irresponsibility of the prodigal son, but about the unconditional love of the Father. And no matter what the son did, no matter where the son went, He was always a son, and there is security in Christ. I have family security. There's another benefit to our sonship, and that's number two, in Christ I have family authority. In Christ I have family authority, and one of the differences between a slave and a son is the difference of authority, and I think that's what Paul alludes to at the beginning of verse 15. Romans 8 verse 15, for you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, But you receive the spirit of adoption, making you a son. A slave lives under authority. A slave is in bondage, afraid of his master. A slave does what he's told to do, when he's told to do it. A slave has no rights of his own. However, a son has authority. I think that was some of Paul's point in Galatians chapter 4, as we read that scripture portion, Galatians 4 verse 1, just a few moments ago. Once again, let me illustrate this by citing Jesus' parable, the prodigal son in Luke 15. When the prodigal son returned home, his father gave him three things. You may not remember this, but his father gave him a robe, gave him a ring, and gave him sandals for his feet. And I'm convinced that each of those gifts was not incidental, but rather specific and symbolic. And for our purposes this morning, allow me to comment on the ring, the gift of the ring. The father gave his son a ring. Why? As a symbol of authority. And all through ancient and biblical history, the ring represented authority. In Genesis chapter 41, the Pharaoh of Egypt gave Joseph authority by putting a ring on his hand. In the book of Esther, it was the king Ahasuerus who was talking to Mordecai and said, write a decree for the Jews, as you please, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signet ring, a sign of authority, a seal of authority. And in each of those cases, the authority didn't lie in the individual, but because of the relationship that individual had, in Joseph's case with the pharaoh, In Mordecai's case, with the king, and in the prodigal son's case, with his father. Folks, the father gives authority to his children. And in Christ, I have family authority. Look again at verse 15. Again at verse 15, but you have received the spirit of adoption that is capitalized in my new King James, the Holy Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father. And I would offer you this, number three. Number three, in Christ, I have family intimacy. Now the word Abba there in your English Bibles is an Aramaic word that is used three times in our Bibles, each time in the form of a prayer that is enabled by the Holy Spirit to address God the Father in an intimate way. It could be translated Daddy or Dearest Father. There's a great Baptist preacher from London, Charles Spurgeon, who explains this. He says, the sweet word Abba was chosen to show us that we are to be very natural with God, not stilted and formal. We're to be very affectionate and come close to him and not merely say pater, which is a cold Greek word for father. Rather than using the Greek pater, use the Aramaic, the Abba. which is warm, natural, loving word, fit for one who is a little child with God and feels the freedom to lie in His bosom and look up into His face and speak with holy boldness. Abba is but a babe's lisping. Oh, how near we are to God when we can use such speech. How dear He is to us and dear we are to Him when we may address Him in this manner, saying like the great Son Himself, Abba, Father. As we read a moment ago from Galatians 4 verse number 6, because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying out, Abba, Father. And folks, you may be at a point in your life this morning when everything that has defined you has been upended. Maybe your social status. Maybe your job status, maybe your health status, maybe your marital status. Let me encourage you that your son's status hasn't changed. You are still a son. You are God's child and He wants you to come to Him and call Him Daddy. And children understand this benefit when they're distressed. There is no greater comfort than for a child to be held by their parents when they're hurting. and cry, Daddy. In Christ we have family intimacy, we enjoy that relationship. Look at verse number 16, the Spirit of Himself bears witness with our spirits. And again, there's a reference to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit Himself, the Holy Spirit bears witness with our human spirit that we are children of God. The Holy Spirit of God testifies to us, our human spirit, assuring us of our sonship. I would offer number four in Christ, I have family assurance. Now you say, but pastor, wait a minute here. If the Holy Spirit gives us intimacy with God the Father so that we can cry out Abba Father in verse 15, That's Roman numeral number three. Why do we need assurance or why do we need reassurance that we are sons in verse 16? I think the answer is because we are prone to have an identity crisis about this. How many times in your Christian life have you wondered? How many times in your Christian life have you worried that maybe you're not saved? What if I'm not really saved? What if I'm not really a Christian? And it's the young person who might go to their mother for assurance. It's the church member who might go to their pastor for assurance. It is the legalist or the moralist who will look to their own good conduct in their lives to give them assurance of their salvation. But that's not where we should go. We have the Spirit of God that is testifying to us regarding our identity in Christ. The Holy Spirit will minister assurance to your heart regarding your position in Christ. You've often heard me say that the security of our salvation is a fact. The assurance of our salvation is a feeling. And that is the difference between Roman numeral number one and Roman numeral number four. Security is a fact. Assurance is a feeling. And it is the sweet assurance of the Spirit of God who comforts our hearts with the feelings of confidence in our sonship. You say, okay, pastor, how do I get that feeling, right? Is it some mood music? Some Christian music on the radio or a concert? Where can I get that feeling? It's not like the Holy Spirit talks to us. Oh, but He does. In fact, the Holy Spirit speaks very clearly. In fact, His words are recorded for us to hear. The Word of God. is the words of the Holy Spirit of God. These are the facts, and we inform our feelings with the facts, the truth of the gospel message, and the promises of God, so that our fragile faith will be buoyed by the words of God the Spirit. For faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God the Spirit. So folks, this is the way it works. in the moments of your identity crisis, and you lack the feelings of assurance, go to the words of the Spirit and find the facts. Where are the facts? Romans 8, verse number 1. It's right before you. There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. You know what? That makes me feel better. Praise the Lord for Romans 8. How about Romans 8, 38 and 39? We just read that a moment ago. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. That makes me feel better. This is the Holy Spirit of God testifying to my spirit that I am a child of God and I have family assurance as his child. But there's more, look at verse 17. And if children then heirs, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together. Another benefit, in Christ I gain family inheritance. In Christ I gain family inheritance. Galatians 4, 7 says, therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. What do we think about when we think about inheritance? We think about the property and the possessions that are passed down from one generation to another generation. And if our parents are wealthy, the inheritance can be great. If our parents are poor, then we're left with a bunch of junk, right? And maybe that's your experience. But what do we gain as joint heirs of Christ? There is so much that could be said here. I would offer you 1 Peter 1.4 that promises us an inheritance that is undefiled, incorruptible, undefiled. It does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. But from this specific passage, I'd like to suggest a part of our inheritance that we don't often think about. We might not initially consider. If you look at verses 22 and 23, Romans 8 verse 22, For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pains together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even ourselves groan within ourselves as creation that's under the curse, within ourselves eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of the body. How great will it be when we are fully and finally delivered from this body of death? Paul calls it earlier in Romans 7 verse 24, we will gain a new body. And the reward will be the glorification that is referenced at the end of verse 17, that we may also be glorified together with him. And this is our full and final conformity to his image as we discussed last week. So our family inheritance as joint heirs with Christ is not only mansions in heaven, it's not only streets of gold with pearly gates. We become like our older brother, as Pastor Sam Horne used to call our Lord Jesus Christ. And as a joint heir with Christ, we become like him, conformed fully to his image, glorified to reflect him. And that's good. But then there's one more insight from verse 17. There you see it near the end of verse 17, if indeed we suffer with him. In Christ, I experience family suffering. Family suffering. What does it mean if indeed we suffer with him? The English Standard Version translates it, provided we suffer with him. Your inheritance Namely, our glory with Him is conditioned upon our suffering with Him. And Peter said it in this way in 1 Peter 4 verse 13, but rejoice. Rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. Okay? But what suffering is Paul describing? What suffering is Peter describing? Is the suffering persecution? Is the suffering pandemic? Is the suffering other problems in this life? I think the answer is yes and yes and yes. In fact, if we keep reading in Romans chapter 8, Paul expounds on this matter. Follow as I begin in verse 18, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time, the various trials James called them, the sufferings of this very time are not to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. So there is that glorious inheritance waiting, but there's some suffering in the meantime, for the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of who? The sons of God. That's a theme here that's threaded through this passage. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans with labor and labors with birth pains together until now. Not only that, but we also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body, for we were saved in this hope. But hope that is seen is not hope. Why does one still hope for what he sees? That doesn't make sense. But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Folks, whoever you are, whatever we are, we are children of God by faith in Jesus Christ because God has adopted us into His family. Folks, I may not be rich or famous, you may not be rich or famous, but you are a child of the King. You're a child of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and there is no better identity than that. Who are you? Who am I? First and foremost, before we identify ourselves by any other criteria, we are children of God. We are a child of the King, let's pray. Lord, I thank you so much for these truths, for these facts. Lord, may we inform our feelings by these facts and may we find comfort and confidence in who we are in Christ Jesus, our Lord. I pray for those that are before me in this auditorium as well as those who are watching the live stream or listening to the broadcast. God, we in our flesh often suffer the identity crisis because circumstances in our lives change and would I pray that you would help us this week to celebrate our position in Christ, for I pray it in His name.
In Christ I Am...A Child of God
Serie My Identity In Christ
Neither our public reputation nor our personal perception defines who we are in Christ. The believer's proper view of self (self-worth, self esteem) must be seen from their position in Christ.
ID kazania | 6920133334829 |
Czas trwania | 27:17 |
Data | |
Kategoria | Niedziela - AM |
Tekst biblijny | Rzymianie 8:14-17 |
Język | angielski |
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