Your Identity in Christ

                                   God's Love - God's Sonship - God's approval

We see in Luke 3:21-22 Father speaking to Jesus declaring  ' Thou art my beloved son: in thee I am well pleased'

We see three vital things in this passage.

God's Love - God's Sonship - God's approval

Our human tendency is always try to get approval from other people - This will not result in perfect peace.

Jesus is our model and sacrifice. When he walked on the earth, he did things either as a model to show us or our substitutionary sacrifice.

Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

After this approval, we see Jesus being tempted of the devil. Father has loudly declared ‘You are my beloved Son’, but the devil is asking 'If you are the Son of God'. Jesus didn't answer to his if question. Our temptation is always targeted at our Sonship. Jesus didn't do anything to get this approval. In our life too if we want to do great things for God, be convinced on your approval from Father. The way out of temptation is to walk and stand firm in your Sonship. Your identity is always important in our christian life.

Song of Solomon 8:5 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness leaning upon her beloved?

Colossians 2:11 When we are baptized, we are buried with him and risen with him. He has quicken us together with him having forgiven you all trespasses. He wiped out the handwriting which was against us. He nailed it to the cross, having spoiled principalities and powers. He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Old arrest warrant cancelled. Enemy cannot stand before your Sonship.

Holy Spirit

Being Filled with the Holy Spirit

“Do not be drunk with wine, which will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,” Ephesians 5:18

Today we are going to see the Work of the Holy Spirit in a different angle.

I hope this will help you understand how our Lord Holy Spirit works in us to sustain the grace given to us to live a holy life.

There are 3 Key Laws mentioned in the Bible

1.    The Law of God (10 Commandments in principle / 2 Royal Law of Love basis of all 613 Laws)
2.    The Law of Sin
3.    The Law of Spirit and Life

The Law of God

•     “So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good”

Romans 7:12

•     The Character of God or the Very heart of God

(Man can only envision God through his Laws)

•     Be holy as I am Holy – why?

•         Qadosh in Hebrew

•         Hagios in Greek

•         Nothing related to clean or pure

•         “To be set apart” or “Consecrated for”

The Law of Sin

•     “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.”              

 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Romans 7:22-24

•     “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.” Romans 7:15-17

•     Law of God reveals the character of God.

•     Law of sin resists the Law of God.

•     “but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.” James 1:14

•     Temptation is only Temptation until it is yielded as sin

•     A man or woman committing any sin including envy, Pride, Jealousy, Favouritism is because they want to…

•     ... So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Romans 7:25

The Law of Spirit and Life

•       “because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2

•       The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6

•       Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.               2 Corinthians 3:17

Illustration of Laws

Consider an Aeroplane – It has to go from Point A to Point B the destiny and built to carry 500 people. It has a Metallic / Composite Body. It is filled with Fuel the Spirit. It has a Pilot

Gravitational Pull acts on the Flight continuously because of the Fuel and Pilot the Passenger does not feel or think He will fall down. The steering of the Flight and all controls designed to work to take the passenger from A->B.

Qualification for receiving the Holy Spirit

•         ““Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”” Luke11:11-13

  Jesus Lives through You

•       “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:9

•       “But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” Romans 8:10-11

•       “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Galatians5:17-18

Paul says in Ephesians 3:16,17,

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 

Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

How to live in accordance with the Spirit?

•         “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” Romans 8:5

                                               
                                                             ThanksGiving Psalms


Since this is season of ThanksGiving, we are going to meditate on this psalm 136. It tells us clearly what do we need to be thankful for.  We can divide it to 4 sections.

1) Who He is - Give thanks because of our Lord's power, his mighty works, his magnificent and awesomeness. Verses 1-3 He is the Lord, God of Gods and Lord of Lords. In the Old testament times, people sing this psalms in Solomon's time.
As read in II Chronicles 5:13 The house was filled with cloud when they offer these praises to the Lord.

2) Creation - In verses 4-9, we see how the Lord created this world. He alone do great wonders, by wisdom made the Heavens. When you see the Heaven, earth, lights, Sun, moon and stars, we have to proclaim his mercy endureth forever. When we look at these things everyday, we should not take it for granted, need to change our attitude to be thankful.

3) Redemption - In verses 10-22, we see how Lord redeemed Israel. He redeemed them with outstretched arm and strong hand. It shows the picture of Cross how he redeemed us from darkness and overthrew our enemies(old nature) in the Red sea. He led his people through the wilderness, there is no lack even in desert. He gave the land as an inheritage to Israel his servant. We are joint hiers with Christ being Abraham's seed. He slew famous and great kings, there is no match for our God.

4) Personal application - In verses 23-26, we see personal application of Lord's mercy in our life. He remembered us in our lowly estate, he came to us to set our feet on the rock. He redeemed us from our enemies and gives food to all flesh. He gives food to the entire world. He is good, his mercy endureth forever. He is the Lord of Heaven - fountain of all blessing we see in this world. His mercy endureth forever.

Infamous Women in Christ Birth

In the genealogy of Jesus, five women are mentioned in Matthew 1. We usually discuss only about Mary. But let us take a look at the other four women:

1. Tamar: Matt 1: 3  Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. She is the daughter in law of Judah but bore a son through Judah. Widows in those days are not like today - she can’t marry anyone. She kept herself pure - did not defile herself. Judah himself testified about Tamar saying “She is more righteous than I am”. You can read more about her story in Genesis 38.

2. Rahab:  Matt 1:5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. She was a prostitute from Jericho who saved the spies. You can read more about her story in Joshua 2. She gave up her profession, she was still a foreigner, but she humbled herself and learnt the laws of the Israelites. The scarlet cord that she tied saved her, her family and made her a part of Jesus’ birth. That scarlet cord (the blood of Jesus) is still available for you and me.

3. Ruth: Matt 1:5 Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. She was a widow, a Moabite woman. Moabites are descendants of Lot – they were a curse. You can read about that in Deut 23. She gleaned in the field of Boaz.  Gleaning was done by the lowliest of the lowly. She did that but God exalted her.

4. Uriah’s wife (Bathsheba): Matt 1:6 David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife. Even her name is not mentioned in Matthew. She lost her husband, lost her first child through David, still she pressed in. You can find her story in 2 Samuel 11 and 12.

All of the four women were imperfect – but they all had a part in bringing the Messiah to the world. They did not let their past define their future. When the enemy shows your past, show him his future which is a bottomless pit.

The only one who can prevent you from your calling is you. All these women had so many setbacks. But still they were used by God. Their job was not perfect. Their family background was not perfect. The world despised them. Nevertheless these women had a part in the Savior's birth. 

You may not have a job let alone a perfect one. You may be despised and rejected by others. But you are cherished by your father in heaven. You are his beloved daughter. You are the daughter of the king. You are a holy nation, a royal priesthood. Your identity in Christ, is your anchor.

Jesus Christ became a curse for you, to set you free from all curses. He became poor for you, to make you rich in every way. His love for you is more than you can fathom. His plans are to prosper you. His plans for you are much higher than your plans for yourself.

When we humble ourselves, God will use us to birth many children into his kingdom.

"THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS"


In Eph 6 11-12 says

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

This verse is talking about battles that we fight daily – they may be: financial battles, spiritual battles, relationship battles – all kinds of battles in our daily lives.

I took Jehoshaphat story for the illustrations.

In the Old Testament we find that Jehoshaphat, king of Israel, got word from a friend that three enemy nations were coming against him to fight him. The odds weren’t too good because it was three nations against the one nation of Israel. The Bible tells us that these three nations were the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Meunites. Let’s look into the story – it is found in Second Chronicles chapter twenty:

In 2 chron 20 verse 1- 2 says

“Now it came about after this that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, together with some of the Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and reported to Jehoshaphat, saying, "A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea…”

Lets see some priniciples or ways from this story for hoow to win the battle of our life.

priniciple no1:

1. Identify Your ENEMY

Verse 1 shows us the first principle in overcoming the battles of life: Identify your enemy.

Many people simply do not know who their enemy is. They start mistrusting everyone. Often we think the enemy is some other person – even our own family members. But they may not be the ones who are standing against us – but for us. Many times the enemy is our own attitude – the way we handle the situation. Before we can start winning our battles – we have to know who are enemy is.

Notice how Jehoshaphat reacted when he heard that these three nations were coming against him:

if u read verse 3

Jehoshaphat was afraid……..”

That brings us to point two.

2. Don’t Be Driven By EMOTION

when we face some trouble we will cry or

we will get mad – we will get angry – we will be furious

But look at what the Bible says:

“This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20


The Bible also says:

“For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Tim. 1:7 (KJV)

All of us are emotional beings – that’s the way God has created us. But don’t let your emotions get the better of you.

What you should do next is:

3. Take Your Problems To The LORD

Let’s look at verse three again:


Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.” 2 Chron. 20:3

When Jehoshaphat learned that three nations were coming against him he was afraid – but instantly he “set himself to seek the LORD”.

The third principle in winning the battles of life is to take your problems to the Lord. Prayer will be the first weapon we use whenever we face the battles of life, not the last. Usually the last thing we try is prayer – maybe because we want things to work out on our own.

If u see in verse 6 -12 it says

Jehoshaphat prayed and do you know what he said? In effect he said, “God, I know You’ve helped me in the past. I know You can help me in the future. So please help me now. Please take care of our enemies, for we have no power to face the vast army that is attacking us. We don’t know what to do –

That brings us to point four:

4. Admit You Need HELP

The fourth principle in winning the battles of life is to admit you need help. Jehoshaphat did when he said:

"We are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You." 2 Chron. 20:12

When we say, “Lord, I’ve got a problem; I need help, I admit my inadequacy,” then he can work on it.

God is willing to help but if we are too proud to ask for it – He will not help us. The Bible says:

"GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." James 4:6

Lets see point 5

5. Rely On God’s POWER


If you see in verse 12
 after Jehoshaphat admitted, “Lord, I don’t know what to do,” he added, “but our eyes are on You” (2 Chron. 20:12).

The fifth principle in overcoming life’s battles is to rely on God’s power. We need to get our eyes on the Lord. Too often we’ve got our eyes on everything else – on everything except the One who can solve our problems.

Circumstances are like a mattress: If we’re on top – we rest easy. But if we’re underneath – we might suffocate.

If we keep our eyes on the Lord we’ll stay on top of our circumstances.



point no 6 is

6. Relax In FAITH

Notice how God responded to Jehoshaphat’s prayer:

"Thus says the LORD to you, 'Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God's.’ 2 Chron. 20:15

The sixth principle in overcoming life’s battles is to relax in faith.

So many Christians today are totally worn out because they’re trying to fight God’s battles in our own power.

when we try to do something for God's Kingdom without faith, we are so disappointed and we think like we disappointed god and we felt like we really let him down.

God says, “No, you didn’t let Me down, because you weren’t holding Me up.”

the truth is : We don’t hold up God – He holds us up.

Here I’m not saying we should not try – that we should not do our best – because we should try – we should give it our best effort. But we should also realize that without God’s power we have no power at all.

Jesus said it this way:

"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
eg. Peter

God wants us to relax in faith and let Him work through us.

so The Christian life is a walk of faith.

If God says He’ll take care of it – He will do it

God never broken His promise? So relax and allow Him to be in charge.

But lot of times we running around trying to win the battle

but here what God says to Jehoshaphat – He says:

'You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the LORD is with you.’ 2 Chron. 20:17

What does it mean to stand firm when you’ve got a problem – when you’re facing a battle – when you’re in a crisis of life? It’s a mental attitude of quiet confidence that says, “I’m going to trust God.” If He has promised you that He will take care of it.

Here is the seventh point:

7. Thank God In ADVANCE

The seventh principle in conquering life’s battles is to thank God in advance for giving you the victory.

In this story

After he consulted the people, he appointed men to sing to the Lord – to praise God for His loving-kindness.

There are these two mountains and a valley in-between. The battle is going to take place in the valley. On one mountain are the three enemy armies just waiting to devastate the Jews. On the other mountain are the Jews led by Jehoshaphat. He tells his people, “Here’s God’s battle plan. All of those who can sing in the choir – I want you out front. I want them to lead the battle line.”

So they go marching to battle with the choir in the front of the army – singing praises to God.

The Bible tells us that the three enemy armies got confused and ended up killing each other! They defeated themselves

from this verse he teach us to praise Him in faith even before the victory – even before the battle was won – even before the battle was fought – we need to praise God. When God gives us a promise we need to praise Him – because a promise from God is a sure thing!



verse 25 says,

“When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found much among them, including goods, garments and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were three days taking the spoil because there was so much.”

When God wins the battle – there is always a bountiful blessing.

so the Battle is not ours its Gods.

Amen.

































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