Live The New Future/ Part 2 Of Identity Check Series

Not God. It's easy to have what I call yawn verses or yawn experiences in church. An identity check (and that's what this series is about) is check your identity. Check my identity. You know? The Bible always tells me (and I don't like it), "Don't grow weary in well-doing." Do you ever grow weary in well-doing? I do. I thank the Lord I have enough friends I can complain to. I can go to Josh Bush sometimes and go, "Hey, man. I have to whine a little bit."

At the end of it, I'm like, "You baby." Right? Or go to Eric. I had a good moment with you this week, didn't I, Eric? Then I get home. He sent me a text message. It lifted me up. That's when I realized, "My gosh. I wasn't sober-minded." I want you to know when I preach to you, I'm preaching to me too. I do not stand above you. We have enough (God help me) preachers who stand above you. I'm not that guy, okay? I'm not. I'm going to move on.

"Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Do you hear those words? "…that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Set your hope fully, right? Again, this word hope is not the same as our English word hope. The word hope in the English means, "I kind of hope it happens." Nuh-uh. This hope in the Greek means it has already happened. It is done. It is already done. Let it leak in.

One day, set your hope over here, because one day, it's going to leak in, and it's going to be full, and all the evil of the world is washed away. We are the prototype of that, as my dear friend Jonathan Martin of Renovatus says. We are the prototype of that. We are more like Jesus than we know we are, if our identity is in check.

By the way, I'll give a commercial. Jonathan is coming out with a new book, Prototype. Go buy it. He's an incredible writer. I got an advanced copy. I was out there reading it before church. It's crazy. Jonathan, I was reading your book before church. We are more than we know we are. Verse 15. "But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'"

In other words, "Don't live back there anymore. Live the new future. Live who you truly are. Be holy because I am holy." How many of you know God is holy? How many of you know we can't be as holy as God unless we get pushed under his covering? Then his holiness becomes our holiness. We get lost in him. That's how you get holy, right? It's this attitude of worship. That's why I was telling you last week in the break, when I was taking up the offering, talking about praise and worship.

You can give praise away to anybody. I can turn to Cassandra and go, "Cassandra, I praise you for the good job you're doing. Cassandra, I praise you for your new single coming out in the album," and it would be rightful and honorable praise, but I can't worship her. The only one who can be worshipped is God. The only one who can be worshipped is God and God alone. He's the only one who should receive any of our worship.