Sermon Central
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Identity Theft
Contributed by Pat Cook on Aug 31, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: A short devotional about how God called Solomon by a name no-one else ever called him. Solomon didn’t walk in God’s love and acceptance.
2 Samuel 12:24-25 – Identity Theft
“Who am I?”
God said this baby’s name would be Jedidiah – “loved by the Lord”. But it’s never recorded anywhere else – nobody ever called him that. Even though God said who he was, nobody ever accepted it. Neh 13:26 – mentions God loved him, and that’s it.
KEY POINT: Our identity must be based in God’s love for us. Like John the Revelator ("the disciple whom Jesus loved"), he knew and affirmed Jesus loved him.
Unfortunately, we often fall into opposite extremes…
1) People never actually embrace this identity.
People understand the millenium better than their identity.
"In Christ" – 40 times in Ephesians…
"millenium" – once
What’s more important - to know eschatology or to know your identity?
Philippians 3:16 – Be who you are
Return of the King – Become who you were meant to be.
2) People use love as an excuse to sin.
Homosexual churches and so on – “God loves me and made me this way”. But Jude 4 says some people believe that because of grace, we can do whatever we want.
Ephesians 4:1 – live in your calling
CONC: “Who I Am” list by Neil Anderson