Are You Confused?
Part 1
Scriptures: Jeremiah 1:5; 1 John 1:4-10; 2:7-11; 4:7-11
This morning I want you ask you a question, “Are You Confused?” I recently completed a series on Christians and how we can identify them. This morning I want to circle back to the beginning because in order for us to grow in Christ we have to solve our identify issues. We cannot grow in Christ if we are confused about who we are in Him. So, my question for all of us is this: “Are You Confused?”
There are several definitions for the word confused, but the three I want you to think about for the purposes of this series are: “unable to think intelligently; not differentiated; disoriented.” The first definition, “unable to think intelligently” implies that a person is unable to think or reason clearly or to act sensibly. In other words, the person lacks the ability to make decisions that are appropriate for the situation. In a given situation where a “normal” person would respond a certain way, this individuals is incapable to choosing that response. Let me give you an extreme example. A person pulls up to a four-way stop that has a caution light that blinks yellow. This person sits at the light with cars backing up behind them because they are waiting for the light to flash green. Is this a normal response? Absolutely not, this person is confused. A normal thinking person would know that they are to stop and then proceed with caution. The person who waits for the light to turn green really does not know how to proceed.
The second definition, “not differentiated” implies that you cannot distinguish one thing from the other; one thing is mistaken for the other. There are no clear guidelines so everything looks the same. Consider this example, if I asked you to close your eyes and I gave you a slice of a Fuji apple and a Red Delicious apple, could you tell the difference? For me there would be no differentiation as an apple is an apple. As you all know, this is the problem with the Church today, it’s getting harder and harder to differentiate a Christian from a non-Christian.
The third and final definition is disoriented. When someone is disoriented they are confused as to time and place; out of touch with reality. Now this is an interesting one. Most of us have experienced someone who has been sick and were confused. Maybe they were recovering from having anesthesia after surgery. Whatever the cause, the person did not recognize the present time and place. Some of us have experienced this while we were traveling and turned down the wrong road because our GPS was wrong. Being disoriented can be a scary feeling because we live in the present (knowing our surrounding which include time and place.) We know that when we lose this ability we lose our rights to make a decision. I had anesthesia recently and for 24 hours I was not allowed to drive my car (which I could have done) and I was not allowed to make any legal decisions. This is standard practice after anesthesia because a person’s thinking can be impaired.
With these definitions in mind, this morning I want to focus on our identity. Are you confused about your identity as a Christian? Identity is defined as, “the name or essential character that identifies somebody or something.” As a Christian, our name is “Christian.” We do not have a problem with this first part; the problem enters when we start looking at the “essential character” that identifies us as Christians. Turn with me to Jeremiah 1:5. It reads, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet unto the nations.” Have you ever considered the fact that God knew you while you were in your mother’s womb? When a baby is conceived, God’s knows that baby – all babies! Whether that baby is carried to term or dies in the womb, God knows that baby and if that baby dies their spirit immediately upon death returns to God. When we were conceived God knew us and established a plan for our life. However, we had to accept our true identity before we could begin walking in what He had called us to do. When we accepted Christ the world gave us the title of “Christian.” However, without the essential character that identifies us as a Christian, that title means absolutely nothing. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? And in your name have cast out demons? And in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.” Having the title is not enough! So if we have the title and not the character, our life can be described as confused as we are unable to think intelligently about who we are; no one can differentiate us from the world; and we are disoriented to our surroundings – heaven focused versus world focused. You see, we should live in the world but not be a part of it. An example for you to consider is this: you live in your home yet you go to work at an office. When you get to your work location you are the same person that you are at home, you’re just temporarily at a different located. The location may change but you do not. Well if I am a true resident of God’s kingdom, this world represents a temporary location. I do not change for the temporary location I remain the same until I get back home! Does this make sense? My point with this is that if we are not walking in the character that identifies us as Christians, we are confused about our identity.
Now some of you may be thinking – how do I know? What are some of the characteristics of a Christian? Well, I am glad you’re wondering because I am about to share a few with you.
We Love. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
“Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shines. He that says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and knows not where he goes, because that darkness has blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:7-11)
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loves is born of God, and knows God. He that loves not knows not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” (1 John 4:7-11) If we do not have love nothing else matters!!! I cannot stress this enough. God’s love for us is absolute. The love that He demonstrates towards us is greater than anything we can compare it to. If I say that I am a Christian and I do not have love for my fellow man as demonstrated by how I treat and care for them, my Christianity is nothing. I cannot be aligned with Christ and not walk opposite His character. Jesus is love and He continues to demonstrate that today.
We exercise authority. “And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Mark 16:17-18) I will spend more time on this one in a later message, but this morning I want you to know that you have been given authority. Whether you choose to walk in it or not is does not negate what has been given to you. When you are exhibiting the character of your Father, you walk in the authority that He has granted you!
We walk in the Light. “And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:4-7) As we grow in Christ, our lifestyles changes and we stop living in and enjoying the darkness. We live a transparent life of truth, nothing to be ashamed of.
We have a sensitivity to sin. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10) We recognize that we have sinned and that we have the propensity to do so. However, because we are now His, we do not want to sin and when we do we call out to Him to confess and to ask forgiveness.
We keep His commandments. “And by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that says, I know Him, and keeps not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: by this we know that we are in Him.” (1 John 2:3-5) Another way we demonstrate our character as Christians is that we keep His commandments. We are not confused about our responsibilities!
We are doers of the Word. “But be you doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: For he beholds himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what manner of man he was. But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” (James 1:22-25) I know I am sounding like an old broken record that when scratched it kept playing the same section of the song, but we cannot demonstrate the characteristics of a Christian separate from being a doer of the Word of God. It goes back to being obedient!
We are not followers of the world. “And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
“You adulterers and adulteresses, know you not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do you think that the scripture says in vain, the spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy?” (James 4:4-5)
We are Overcomers!!! “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) “For whoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5) Let me give you an example of what’s like to act like an overcomer. You are at a football game where your child or a friend’s child is playing and you are cheering for that team. That team scores and you jump out of your seats and cheer. Then you look at one another and say something like this: “we are doing great and may win this game!!!” Notice the use of the word “we”? You identified with that team so whatever that team accomplished was not part of your accomplishment. The same happens in our homes. We have people living in our homes that don’t pay the mortgage/rent, utilities or buy groceries. However, they use the utilities, and eat the food – rent free! Then when they invite their friends over they ask in this manner: “Can you come over to my house?” Notice the use of the word “my.” If you have not caught on these individuals are generally our children. My point is this, they too identify with the success of their parents. Jesus overcame it all and since we are aligned to Him that makes each of us an overcomer. The world will tell us that we are failures. The world will tell us that we are no good. The world will tell us that we can do no better than what we are doing. The voices of the world comes through the voices of family, friends, employers, Church members, strangers, colleagues, you name it. People are not always trying to tear you down but speaking from their own hurts and experiences. We have to remember that we are overcomers because Jesus overcame. It’s not about anything within us except the Spirit of God.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this message, the world needs to be able to see the difference between us and them. That is the only thing that will make them wonder about why we have chosen Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. If our lives are the same as theirs; if we do the same things they do for recreation; if we talk the same way they talk; if our faith is so hidden that people who know us would be surprised that we go to Church then we are definitely not doers of His word and are living lifestyles that are very friendly with this world. I know it’s difficult to different from the world, from the majority, but all of this around us is temporary. Where we are going is eternal! We must be different!
These are just a few of the characteristics that Christians should demonstrate. You can have the title of Christian without demonstrating the character and you will still end up in hell. Your identity goes far beyond your name; it speaks to the core of you. Your character as a Christian should speak so loud that people assume that you are a believer long before they have to ask you. Do not be confused about your identity. Speak intelligently about who you are and why. Differentiate yourself from the world so people will see your works and praise your Father in heaven. Last but not least, know your place and the times in which we are living. Time is running out!
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
