Title: Who Am I – 4
“Knowing Who You Are – 2”
Text I Peter 2:9
It is essential for every believer to understand and know who they are in Christ. So far, in this series, we have determined that the only person who determines who we are is us.
The majority of Christians feel unworthy to be used of the Lord for one reason or another. We don’t feel qualified, we don’t feel that we have what it takes, but I want to show you in the Bible that God thinks differently. For the past couple of weeks we have been exploring the lives of several men in the Bible that felt the same way that most of us feel. Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should deliver your people out of Egypt?” Jeremiah said to God, “I can’t do what you are asking me to do, I cannot speak for I am only a child.” Isaiah said, “I am a man undone, I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. I cannot do what you are asking me to do.” God’s response to every one of these men was the same. Don’t be concerned with who you are in the natural, only be concerned with who is with you. He promises them, “I will not leave you. I will go before you. I will be with you every step of the way.” We know that God never changes, so if He promises to be with these men, He promises to be with you in every area of your life. He is reminding you today, “Don’t be concerned with who you are outside of me, just be concerned who you are with Me on your side.” After all, He is in covenant with each and every one of us.
DAVID
Last week we talked about one man that knew he was with God on His side. He was confident. David was a man that killed a bear and a lion with his bare hands. He went up against Goliath and took that giant down without breaking into a sweat, didn’t just knock him down, but chopped his head off and picked it up for all the enemies to see. He knew who he was in God.
Today, we want to talk about one more man that knew who He was. We have spent a considerable amount of time in the Old Testament, so today we are going to flip over into the New Testament and see a man that knew who He was in Christ. It is one thing to have God on your side, but something greater to have God within you.
PAUL
I love the confidence that the Apostle Paul had in Jesus. There is instance after instance in the Bible where we find that Paul knew who he was.
II Timothy 1:7; “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
This Scripture has become our theme Scripture for 2010. If you have missed Tuesday Bible studies, you have missed some really good teaching on this subject of fear. Paul is in prison and he wants Timothy to know that he is not afraid, and we are going to read why he is not afraid, and also wants to remind Timothy that all fear comes from the devil. No fear allowed in our lives. If we really know who our God is and who we are because of the God we serve, there is no room in our lives for fear. This whole chapter gives us an inside peek at Paul’s life and he makes no mistake in telling people how much faith he has in His God. Read on:
II Timothy 1:8-10; “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:”
Paul makes it clear here that he is afflicted and later on we find that he is persecuted, but he also has not given up on the calling that the Lord has placed upon him. He knows that the Lord has saved him, not because of the good man that he was, and placed on him an holy calling. He knows it is not by his own merits, but it is only by the grace of God. Read on:
II Timothy 1:11-14; “Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. 13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.”
Paul is an amazing man! We all know that. He is telling Timothy, I suffer with the best of them, I go through trials and struggles just like anyone else, BUT I know who I am believing in and I am persuaded that is able to keep His Word. Do you see the confidence in Paul knowing who His God is? Let’s flip over to a letter that Paul writes to the Corinthian people:
II Corinthians 4:8-12; ¶ “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.”
Paul is the first to admit to anyone that he goes through things just like anyone else. He is not trying to give you a false illusion that you will never face another trial when you get saved. He is trying to tell people if they would only realize the Jesus that they have on the inside of them, then all these things can come against you, but it will not knock you out. It may knock you down for a moment but it will not knock you out. He is telling us that if we will allow Jesus to reign on the inside of us then trouble can come on every side, but it will not affect us. We can be persecuted, but we know that Jesus will never forsake us. Life may have knocked our feet from under us, but we are not destroyed because the life of Jesus Christ resides on the inside of you.
We see the confidence in Paul, not let’s back up a little in that same chapter and then we can understand how Paul can be so confident.
II Corinthians 4:5-7; “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”
Paul makes it very clear here that the only way he can be so confident is because of Jesus. It has nothing to do with him; it has everything to do with Jesus. We preach for Jesus’ sake. We are able to shine forth the light of Christ because of Jesus. This power is not of ourselves, but it is of God. Paul was confident, but he was not confident in himself, he was confident in his God. Paul knew who he was without God, but most importantly, he knew who he was with his God.
Are you getting a good picture of Paul yet? Paul understood who he was. Paul knew that no situation or person could overpower God Almighty. Paul lived free from fear. He lived out what he told to Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of fear.” He wasn’t afraid of anything.
A demon possessed woman comes to him, he says, “get out of here, you evil spirit.” No fear!
A snake pops out of a burning fire and latches onto his arm, he says, “get off me you serpent.” He should have been dead from poison, but fear didn’t rule him because he knew the Jesus that he had residing on the inside of him. No fear!
He is in the middle of a storm, the ship is about to go under and he stands up with confidence in his voice and says, “We shall not die from this, not one man is going to die. We are going to the other side just as the Lord has promised us.” No fear!
Listen to what he tells the Romans:
Romans 8:31-32; ¶ “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”
You know what he was saying here? He was saying as David said, “God’s got my back.” What reason do I have to fear? The Lord is concerned about me. He gives me everything I need when I need it. No matter what devil or man comes against me, If I have God for me, who can really be against me anyway? He goes on even further. He tells the church of Rome, the Lord is on our side, He is concerned about us, not only that, keep reading:
Romans 8:35-39; “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (KJV)
Paul gives us a very clear picture here of the confidence that we should have in Christ. God love you! You are somebody! As Paul says, you are more then a conqueror. You need to be persuaded that God loves you even in the midst of your distress and tribulation and persecution and famine and nakedness and peril, God love you and because He loves you, He is going to see you through. We must get fully persuaded that God is for us, not against us. And if He is for you, what can really stand against you. Nothing!
I hope we can learn from the lives of these men that with man things may look impossible and be impossible, but with God all things are possible.
