The Church at Ellerslie SUNDAY SERMON NOTES Eric Ludy Sunday, May 28, 2017
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Hidden A study in the Christian s deliberate avoidance of self-identity The Doctrine of Disappearance For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3 Kryptō - Krü p-tō To bury, to conceal, to escape notice I have not done what I wanted to. I have not eaten what I wanted to, or worn what I would have chosen. I have not lived in a house that I would have ever looked at twice. I longed for a husband, babies, security, and love. God didn t give that. He left me alone for 17 years with one book - a Chinese Bible. I don t know anything about your latest novels, pictures, theaters. I live in a rather out dated world. And I suppose you say, well, it s awful miserable, isn t it? Friends, I ve been one of the happiest women that has ever stepped this earth. I have raised someone else s children, whom I ve loved with a great love because Jesus Christ loved me, and who I m now receiving love back from. Lord, give us freedom. Freedom in Thee. That you might be able to pick us up and put us down. And use us when and where and how you like. That someone might know how much you love them. Gladys Aylward The Doctrine of Declaration You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14 The Battle Over You 3
You were the anointed cherub who covers... Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor... Ezekiel 28:14, 17 Then He said to them all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. Luke 9:23 Lucifer s Failure: Pursued the splendor of Self Christ s Success: Pursued the splendor of One Greater Identity (the old fashioned definition) IDEN TITY - Sameness. Not diverse, but similar. Not unusual, but the same. Identical. 4 + 3 = 2 + 5 6 + 1 = 8-1 Identity (the new fangled definition) IDEN TITY - What makes YOU unique. YOUR diverse and defined qualities and attributes. That which separates YOU out as YOU and causes YOU to be understood and known as YOU. 3 + 3 = Chuck 1 + 5 = Lucy 7-1 = Darla 18-12 = Tony 3,534 / 589 = Brady But technically, they all are the same. They all amount to 6. They are unfinished, in need of help, pockmarked by sin, and deserving of judgment. They are not unusual, but actually, very similar one to the other. They are made up of different numbers, but each one of them has the same end conclusion. As it is written... 4
There is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20). The Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe (Galatians 3:22). For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). So, What s our Identity? 6 = Sinner We are the same as a sinner, equal to one deserving a just, eternal penalty for our sin Identity Top 1% of look-ups on Merriam Webster Online Self-Identity What makes me, me? What are the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and/or expressions that make me who I am? Psychological Identity What is my self-image? What is the mental model I have of myself? Do I have self-esteem, self-awareness, and selfacceptance? Am I self-enlightened to know how totally capable I am to save myself? Gender-Identity Who am I as a person in relation to other humans? Am I a man, a woman, an it, a dog, a giraffe, a cat, or a fire hydrant? What do I believe myself to be? 5
Social-Identity Where do I perceive myself in the social order around me? Am I above, below or equal to those around me? In all of these cases, the question looks inward to find the answer. It looks to human feelings and perceptions. It s assumed that we, as created beings, define our own identity. Who do I feel I am? OR What does God say I am? Fact, Faith, and Experience Where did this Self-Focus come from? Then the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. Genesis 3:4-5 CNN s 10 Ideas that Changed the World By CNN's Mairi Mackay 10. Gravity 9. Zero 8. Soap 7. The World Wide Web 6. Evolution 6
Once described as "the single best idea anyone has ever had," English naturalist Charles Darwin's "Theory of Evolution" proposes that all life, including humans, is related and is descended from a common ancestor. Prior to Darwin's theory, published in "On the Origin of Species" in 1859, it was accepted that man came from an archetype created by God, and was set apart from animals. Darwin's theories showed creation had taken longer than the Biblical seven days and that man was, in fact, likely to be be descended from apes. As well as launching a revolution in biology, his idea irrevocably shook the human race's conception of where they come from. 5. Human Rights 4. Vaccinations 3. Relativity 2. The Unconscious When Freud, the father of psychoanalysis suggested that our behavior is not always ruled by our conscious thoughts, nor is it always in our best interests, he formed the basis of the idea that individuals can be curious about themselves and make a study of their own minds. He thought people talking in certain situations could let out ideas from the unconscious in dreams or through slips of the tongue -- hence the term "Freudian slip." His ideas have permeated pop culture to such an extent that much of what we understand about the sexes, relationships, films and books can be seen as reflected through a Freudian mirror. 1. Farming Charles Darwin 1809-1892 Darwin s Idea The Earth evolved, it wasn t Created. The logical end - There is no God Sigmund Freud 1856-1939 7
Freud s Idea Be curious of Self, live to define and understand You The logical end - Life is all about You Darwin Begat Freud And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth... and the beginning of his kingdom was Babel... Genesis 10:8, 10 And Darwin begat Freud: his ideas began to be mighty in the earth... and the beginning of his kingdom was Babel... Modern Reality 10:8, 10 The Supposed Brilliance of Men Darwin Discovered the origins of all things. Really? Freud Discovered the way the Inner Life of men really works. Really? 8
Satan Doesn t Create He merely takes what is already there and seeks to pervert it Lucifer Bringer of Light But this light is a false light, that has a singular intention in its illumination - and that is to question the Words of God. Did God really say? It s illumination of an insidious nature. You were the anointed cherub who covers... Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor... Ezekiel 28:14, 17 Darwin s Origins - The Bible spoke about the Origin of the Species long before Darwin started postulating All Darwin did was propose a model that eliminated God from His position as the Creator of all things Freud s Self - The Bible spoke about Self long before Freud started musing What Freud did was supply Self an intellectual loophole in order to oust God as Lord without any guilt Freud s Id, Ego, and Super-Ego - The Bible spoke about the Old Man, The Flesh, and the Body of Sin long before Freud came along What Freud did was to excuse the Old Man s lust and debauchery, treating it as normal and excusing it from any sense of guilt or pending judgment 9
Freud s Subconsciousness - The Bible spoke about The Heart and the Reins thousands of years before Freud was ever in a diaper What Freud did was give the Inner Man a license to do as he pleases, think what he pleases, and to die as he pleases - forlorn and absent of that which gives Life 10
The Key Terms Christianity is NOT about Self and Self-Identity; It s about Christ and Hiddenness in Christ The Identification Doctrines Knowing what Christ did to make the math work 5 + 1 (a.k.a. - Eric Ludy) = Sinner Eric Ludy + repentance + faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ upon the Cross = Identification in Christ s Victory Losing Your Identity For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:25 Then He said to them all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. Luke 9:23 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience... 11
Colossians 3:1-6 The Declaration of the Christian I am hid IN Christ I am a child of the Most High God The Holy Spirit lives in me, because I am IN Christ I don t just have value in light of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, but I have power to live a life pleasing to Jesus Christ 12