Receiving Your Identity
I. The biggest problem many
people have is they reject what the mirror says
A.
A mirror cannot lie and what it says you are,
you are (James 1:22)
1.
A mirror only has the ability to reflect back
to you the truth
2.
A failure to continue to look into the mirror
of God’s Word will lead to you forgetting who you are; The more I look into
this Word, the better I’ll know myself
3.
Get your identity from what this Word says
and not what you’re feelings say, circumstances say, or what other people say
4.
Who told you that? Adam got his knowledge
from another source (Genesis 3)
5.
We walk by faith in what the mirror says, not
by what we perceive with the senses (2 Cor 5:7)
B.
You must not reject what this word says about
you
1.
Numbers 13:32-33, 14:6-10-The looked right
into the mirror saw the truth and rejected who they were
a.
The circumstances of their lives fogged the
mirror up so that when they looked into they had to look through the fog of the
circumstances
2.
Romans 3:3-4-In spite of circumstances and
experiences and what you feel you’re going to have to let the mirror of this
word be true
II. It’s pride in the truest
sense of the Word that when God says one thing about you, you say another as if
you know better than God knows
A.
1 Peter 5:6-Humility is not located in what
you wear, what you drive, or what you live in. Humility is not a timid, sheepish
and weak lifestyle. Humility is the inward condition of a heart that is totally
submitted to God and to his word.
1.
Humble yourself under the authority of God
a.
If the word says you’re righteous and you say
you’re a sinner that’s pride
2.
When you put yourself under the authority of
this word, the first thing it does is lift you up
B.
2 Corinthians 12:6, Obadiah 3-Humility is
reality
1.
People in pride are deceived, they believe a
lie; humility has to do with reality
a.
Reality is that w/o him I can do nothing, I
know nothing, I have nothing, I am nothing
2.
I don’t walk around w/ the consciousness of
what I am w/o him b/c I’m not w/o him
a.
Too many people are more conscious of what
the wouldn’t be without him, instead of what they are because with Him
b.
I’m conscious of that fact that with him I
can do all things, I know all things, I have all things and I am everything
that I’ll ever need to be----That’s who I am!
C.
Romans 12:3-If God doesn’t want us to think
to highly of ourselves, then it would be fair to say that he doesn’t want us to
think to lowly of ourselves
1.
Many people are thinking lowly of themselves
and calling it humility
a.
Thinking to lowly of yourself is pride; God
says you’re this, you say no I’m less
b.
Many people are proud of how humble they are
2.
There’s something that’s been injected into
the church that says we have to knock ourselves down to lift God up (Especially
in times of worship)
a.
Worship has nothing to do with abasing
yourself to an unscriptural low place, but it has everything to do with
exalting him
b.
I don’t have to knock myself down to some unworthy
state to lift God up and make him look good
c.
We are to worship in spirit and in truth
(John 4:24)
1)
Worship is when you take you’re rightful and
truthful place in him and from that place you praise him, exalt him, magnify
him, and worship
2)
From you’re rightful place you’ll be able to
worship at a higher level
3.
Your false humility isn’t going to impress
God (Matt 8-Jesus marveled at their faith)
D.
Col 2:18-Satan wants an inferiority complex
in your life so you’ll miss out on the reward
1.
He wants to defraud you of your rightful
identity so that you’ll miss out on all the good things that come with that
identity