An Identity You Must Embrace

Transcription

1 SESSION 4 An Identity You Must Embrace 38 SESSION 4

2 If you could be somebody else for a day, who would you be? Bible Studies for Life 39

3 The POINT Sin is no longer your master, Christ is. The bible meets life My sermon was polished and ready to go. My tie was straight. My hair was neat. My shoes were wiped clean of the mud from Friday s funeral. It was Sunday morning, 9:25 a.m. time to preach. I strolled down the hallway, focusing on my planned message from Matthew 5. I failed to notice the man who lurked silently. I had no idea that the lurking man also focused on a plan. Following a few songs, I opened my Bible and launched into my sermon. Meanwhile, the mysterious visitor made a beeline to my office and forced his way in. While the church was taking in a sermon, this man was taking out my wallet. He drove off the parking lot with my credit card and enough information to commit identity theft. It was five days before I even realized it had happened. Your identity is incredibly powerful, whether for financial or citizenship reasons. Romans 6 recalls the dramatic change that took place at your conversion. Through Jesus, you have become a new person with a new destiny. Don t go back to your old way of thinking; live what God says about you. 40 SESSION 4

4 What does the Bible say? Romans 6:8-18 (HCSB) 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him, 9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over Him. 10 For in light of the fact that He died, He died to sin once for all; but in light of the fact that He lives, He lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not! 16 Don t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred to, 18 and having been liberated from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. Key Words consider (v. 11) A command to reckon, be of the opinion, believe. reign (v. 12) To rule as king. We are to step aside from a path that leads to sinful actions. BIBLE STUDIES for LIFE 41

5 THE POINT Sin is no longer your master, Christ is. Romans 6:8-11 If we ve been given a new identity, why are we so tempted to serve our old master? Question #2 In C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia, four kids stumble into a world invaded by the White Witch. Narnia is a land of splendor, but this domineering sorceress has cast a blanketing spell. Because of her it is always winter and never Christmas. C.S. Lewis allegory captured the picture Paul painted in Romans: this world has lost its joy and sits helplessly under a curse. People are trudging along with invisible chains of inadequacy, doubt, guilt, anxiety, and fear. But God has broken Satan s curse; the people of God may now run free! Through the love of Christ, we are more than conquerors. Does this imply that a Christian who gets up early and has good quiet times will always do good things? No. In the future, sin is extinct; in the present, it is not. In Admonition and Grace, Augustine explained the state of human beings this way: Before the fall, humans were able to sin. In Genesis 3, the tempter arrived and baited Adam and Eve with the fruit. They chose to listen, and they decided to disobey. After the fall, humans were not able not to sin. Adam and his offspring became damaged goods. No matter how much will power they muster, humanity can t get it right. After salvation, humans are able not to sin. When Jesus died, He died to sin once for all (Rom. 6:10). The tyranny of Satan has been abolished, and victory is now possible through the power of God. Do Christians still sin? Yes. But now, we have the ability to overcome sin and to grow in righteousness. We do not have to give in. And in the process, we will show the world our life-changing God. What does it really mean to be dead to sin and alive to Christ? Question #3 42 SESSION 4

6 Romans 6:12-14 A young woman once sent her pastor an Dear Pastor: Are we sinners or are we saints? I frequently hear fellow Christians refer to us as just a bunch of sinners saved by grace. Is this biblical? The young lady asked a question Paul sought to answer. While Christians are certainly saved by grace, grace is not a blank check for recklessness. Instead, grace should compel us to pursue holiness. Unfortunately, we are often unable to discern the difference between the lost and the saved. Do you know an unsaved person who exhibits higher moral behavior? He donates blood and serves at the local soup kitchen, but he has zero interest in the things of God. He has no intention to bless the Lord, and without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). On the other hand, do you know a professing Christian who is kind and courteous at church, but crass and profane at the Friday night football game? His life is a living paradox. Paul challenged the saints: do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires (Rom. 6:12). In 1993, a group of milk producing marketers developed a new advertising campaign one with a simple slogan: got milk? The idea was to plaster famous people on billboards with a foamy white moustache. The campaign took off and sales increased dramatically. Milk leaves a discernible mark. So does salvation. When a sinner becomes a saint, his life is no longer marked by sin. Salvation leaves a discernible mark. How does our new identity in Christ equip us to face the temptation and influence of sin? New Question #4 Bible Studies for Life 43

7 THE POINT Sin is no longer your master, Christ is. who s in charge? Choose one. How would I respond to this situation with Christ as my master? Every time we get together, the conversation disintegrates into negativity and gossip. The boss says there is a bonus if I can cut some corners in the construction of the new housing units. 44 SESSION 4

8 Romans 6:15-18 People have become enamored by home improvement shows. You start with a trashy, old house, add a hint of colorful paint, throw in a few shelves, and roll out some fresh carpet. Voila! The before-andafter is breathtaking. Far more dramatic and life-changing than any home makeover is the dramatic change that has taken place through the cross. We have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. The old way is gone; the new way has come. What does it look like to be a slave of righteousness? Question #5 According to Paul, all people are enslaved we are either tied to sin or we are tied to God. It s one or the other. What happens at conversion is remarkable the chains are switched from one taskmaster to another. Thankfully, our new master, Jesus Christ, is loving and gracious. The Lord calls us to trust in a body of truth. This is, in some sense, an act of self-surrender as we reject the lies of culture and focus our minds on the Word. We have many tools to help us focus on the teaching of the Word of God, but here are just a few: Scripture reading and memorization fill the mind with hearty truth. Worshiping with fellow Christians lifts up a discouraged heart and rekindles a love for God. Bowing before the Master in prayer places a person in a position to receive a reviving word from the Lord. Without a doubt, the road of discipline is the road less traveled. But Paul encourages us to press on to righteousness and to seek the heart of the Master. BIBLE STUDIES for LIFE 45

9 24 HOMELIFE MARCH 2013 Nurture a more Christlike love Ride the ebb and flow of marriage Are you a JULY 2013 U.S.A. $3.95 a fresh take on faith & family Identity crisis. It s easy to have one because we build our identities on things that move things that aren t dependable or constant. We chase the wrong things. To chase the heart of God, we must first figure out what other things we re already chasing things of the world, things that distract us, or things that pull us from the heart of God. One of the reasons why we chase the things of the world is that we re looking for strong identities. We want to know that we matter and that we re unique. We all need to know why our lives count and what sets us apart. I remember innocently sitting in science class one day during my sophomore year of high school, waiting for class to start, when two guys known for bullying turned around and decided to make me their target. I don t remember what they said, but I can still picture where I was sitting and what I was feeling. I felt like I was spinning and couldn t put my feet down. As they laughed about who they perceived me to be, all I could think was, Who am I? I knew they didn t know me and what they were saying was careless and untrue, but I didn t know me, and I didn t know what was true. Shortly after that experience, I met God. It wasn t until He began to undo and define me that I finally could stop spinning and put my feet down. In Scripture, David lived with a strong sense of identity. That selfrecognition began by his believing fully what God said about him. He was Simple Ways to Declare Independence From Debt Plus Mandisa I Am Living Proof MARCH 2013 HOMELIFE 25 THE POINT Sin is no longer your master, Christ is. Live It Out So how do we honor Jesus, our Master? How can we obey with heart? Identify what controls you. Examine your life for those areas where sin has easy reign. Form good habits. Spiritual discipline is needed to walk in righteousness. Develop a plan to avoid activities that can lead to sin and replace them with activities that encourage your walk with Christ. Point someone to their right identity. Help another believer shed the old identity. Continually encourage him to see who he is in Christ. The illusion is powerful. Sin promises freedom. But it simply wraps one more chain and one more chain. And that s not who you are anymore. Choose to embrace your new identity. Bow to the God who will actually set you free. Cut to the Chase to Cut the ~Chase~ Your true identity is found in who God says you are. By Jennie Allen Getty Images / Gitte Hoefkens To chase the heart of God, we first must figure out what other things we re already chasing. Identity crisis. It s easy to have one because we build our identities on things that move things that aren t dependable or constant. We chase the wrong things. To chase the heart of God, we must first figure out what other things we re already chasing things of the world, things that distract us, or things that pull us from the heart of God. One of the reasons why we chase the things of the world is that we re looking for strong identities. We want to know that we matter and that we re unique. We all need to know why our lives count and what sets us apart. Love Dare For Parents Waves of Change Magic Kingdom Christian? Coming Home Re-entry help for military families Financial Freedom To continue reading Cut to the Chase from HomeLife magazine, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/articles SESSION 4

10 My g roup's prayer requests My thoughts Bible Studies for Life 47