(11) And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: (12) So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. (13) Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. (14) And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. (15) And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
I. Who is defining you? The devil asks a very valid question that truly resonates with the church today, “Who are you?” Sadly this question is still being asked today, but what is most alarming is we as church folk, blood bought, children of the Redeemed, are looking into our mirrors asking who am I. We live in a time where we feel that we must carry some sort of label. People run to Dr. Phil not for help but Identity. They want a label a term to help identify who they are and why they are who they are.
A. Let’s just try a little social experiment here, how many of you have a smart phone? Raise your hand and keep it up. Now I am going to ask you a series of questions, I need you to be honest now, if at the end of my questions they do not apply to you I want you to put down your hand.
*) Do you check your phone regularly for some form of notifications (FB,twitter,email,etc..) even when you don’t get a notification tone.
*) Do you keep your phone with you at all times or in close proximity?
*) Do you sleep with your phone?
*) Do you feel your phone vibrating or ring when it doesn’t?
1. If you answered yes to any of these questions keep your hands up and everyone else put yours down…To all of you with your hands up congratulations you suffer from a psychological attachment to your phone and have what Psychologists call “NOMOPHOBIA” and for those that feel the phone vibrating when it’s not you have “PHANTOM RINGING SYNDROME”.
2. Researchers say the reason why people check their phones so much is because of dopamine (the hormone of”happiness”). So every time we see a notification, e- mail, or hear the phone ringing, the dopamine level is rising because we believe something new and interesting is happening. The problem is that we can’t know in advance what will happen or what that notification will be about so the feeling to keep checking occurs; your phone is like a mini slot machine, which either can make you feel good or bad.
B. You have now been labeled and identified by something you never knew existed. One of Satan’s favorite tricks is to tell us that we’re something when we’re not, and then make us unsatisfied with who we think we are. When we fall into that trap, we spend all our time trying to self help our way to understanding.
1. America sells more self-help books than any other nation in the world because Americans are constantly trying to change themselves into something they think other people will like and accept. "If I could lose a few pounds..." "If I drove a different car..." "Maybe I should have that plastic surgery." "If I could live in a different house, marry a different spouse, get a better job..." Ga 1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. I don’t know about you but I want to be like Enoch and Please God.
2. People are so desperate for identity that they would rather be known as a disorder or condition than to never be known at all. There has become an epidemic of Identity crisis; many have become persons unknown in the church. How often have you asked yourself, "Who am I?"Perhaps I should ask you a different question; how many times has your answer to "Who am I?” changed over your lifetime? Before you can have confidence, before you can be a victorious, committed man or woman of God living the abundant life; you have to settle the question of identity.
3. If we had the ability or capability to make our lives perfect, then Jesus could have stayed in heaven with the Father, the Cross wouldn’t have been necessary. But it was necessary because we don’t know who we are, let alone what we’re supposed to become or how to attain that.
II. Your name is something based on what it is. Titles with names represent functions. My name is Sean, but my daughters don’t call me Sean, they call me daddy or daaa; that’s my function in their lives. We call God ”Lord" that title speaks to His function in our lives. When we declare that His name is great, though, we’re referring to His person, not His function. When we talk about the name of God, we’re talking about His identity and by extension our own, since we are members of the family that carries His name.
A. When you were born into your earthly family, you became, for better or worse, identified with them. You were so-and-so's daughter, or what’s-his-name’s son. The identity I want to talk about to you about, is your identity as a part of God’s family. When we are born again, we take on His nature and name. But because we haven't figured out who we are in God through Jesus Christ, many of us don’t live powerful, Spirit-led lives. We don’t know our spiritual identity and are still searching. We have a whole world full of people trying to “find themselves." I want to tell you that you were "found” when you came to Christ! 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
1. Now, this is going to adjust your theology if you’ve been trained up in religiosity and not relationship. Religious people don’t understand the Bible. They think that Jesus came only to show us who God is. That’s part of it, but there’s more. Before Jesus even came to earth, God had shown Himself to a lot of people.
a. He spoke to Noah about a flood, He walked with Enoch, showed himself to Moses in a burning bush, to the children of Israel in a pillar smoke and fire, to Nebecunezzar with the hand writing on the wall, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the midst of a burning furnace, and I am such scratching the surface.
b. Jesus didn’t come just to show you who God was; Jesus came to show you who you were. He came to show you who you were so you wouldn’t take somebody else’s word on the subject. If you don’t know who you are, you’ll take the devil’s word on it, and …he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
2. The Psalmist said, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: God has made you to have dominion in the earth, but when you don’t know who you are; whatever you come up with to define yourself is usually wrong.
a. If you go to yourself to find yourself, and you’re lost, how are you going to have the answers? You're lost because you don’t have the answers in the first place! If you go talk to a psychologist who doesn’t know who you are in Christ, all he can tell you is dysfunctional psycho-babble and worldly labels. If you’re lost and he’s lost, where do you think you’re going to end up? That’s a classic case of what the Bible calls “the blind leading the blind; where both fall into a ditch”. The only answer is to take your broken self back to your Creator and let Him you what He made you to be.
3. The Bible refers to Jesus as the "last Adam". The first Adam was created in a particular way to fulfill the purpose of God in his life. When the first Adam messed up, man no longer had a perfect model or example to look at in order to figure out who or what he was.
a. Throughout history, man kept looking to imperfection to try to get some sense of his spiritual composition. Needless to say following a pattern established by a defective template can only lead to the wrong answers. When you start at the wrong point, you’re going to end up with the wrong answer. So Jesus came to show us what the perfect man is supposed to be like, so that we'd quit looking to people for our identity and start identifying with Christ.
B. Ac 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; …, For we are also his offspring. It is not our doing; it is our being. God did not make us human doings. God made us human beings. Paul did not say "I do what I do by the grace of God.” He said, "By the grace of God I am what I am". If it’s in Him that we live and move and have our being, then we will never figure out what we are, or what our being is until we understand that it’s wrapped up in our understanding of Him.
aa. Who we are is founded on and defined by who He is. The disciples asked among themselves after Jesus calmed the storm, “Who is this man?” “Even the winds and waves obey him!” Peter said it best when he said Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
1. God has already settled your purpose when He settled your identity. And His identity in you has been pushing you toward that purpose. That's what the Scripture means when it says, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you u prophet to the nations. (Jer. 1:5) What God said to Jeremiah here is true of all of us. Before we were born, He knew who we would be. In fact, He formed us specifically for our purpose. He does not allow us to come into the world and then just say, "Man, I what am I going to do with that one? Let's see if I can find a slot to stick that one in." God knew you before He created you. And He created you for a purpose.
2. Society will take every opportunity to tell you that if you were raised this way and that way, then you’ll grow up and act this way and that way. And you won’t know any differently! If they say you’re supposed to be messed up, and you don’t know that you’re not supposed to be messed up; you can’t help but be messed up!
3. Do you know why people have nervous breakdowns? It’s because they think they’re supposed to. That's what the world teaches you, if the pressure of life gets to be too much for you, you’re supposed to have a nervous breakdown. If you don’t get enough ice cream when you’re three and somebody steals your bike when you’re eight, you’re supposed to be violent. If people don’t treat you right, you’re supposed to act up. That’s what we are told. Those messages are communicated over and over again, and if you don’t know who you are, you can’t help but be what you’re not supposed to be. Many of us are living below our Christian privileges because nobody ever told us what we were supposed to be or enlightened us about what we’re capable of doing.
III. Look at your neighbor and tell them to roll up their sleeve, it’s time for a blood test. A Blood Test can revile a lot about you. When you go to the Dr. it is not uncommon to roll up your sleeves or have your finger pricked. Blood tests are often used to determine physiological and biochemical states, such as disease, mineral content, pharmaceutical drug effectiveness, and organ function.
A. In the Book of Genesis and Leviticus it says that life lies in the blood. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to every cell in the body, carries away waste products, and plays a central role in your immune system.
1. The average adult has about 5 liters of blood in them; making up for about 7% of your body weight. You can’t live without blood. Those numbers alone can preach, 5 means grace and 7 is the number of completion.
B. A blood test is the first line of defense in medicine to help you out. How many of you have heard this line from your Dr., “We are waiting on your blood test results to come back to see what it says”.
1. Blood has been speaking ever since it was first shed in Genesis, when Cain killed Abel. In Ge 4:10 (God) said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
2. Blood will always tell the truth. You can’t cheat on a blood test. Your blood can tell on you. It can tell if you are sick even when you feel fine and can tell the Dr. that you are still frying chicken after he told you not too.
C. Blood just doesn’t reveal what is going on with you now but it can tell you about where you come from; within your blood can be found your DNA.
1. DNA testing was popularized by the OJ Simpson Trial of the early 90’s. We use DNA testing for everything now, from finding out who the babies daddy is, thank you Maury (which I don’t understand why you would go on tv to air your laundry like that, yeah it proves that all those men you brought on the show are dead beats, but honey it’s not helping you either), in medicine, in crime scene investigations. It has changed how we look at ourselves and gives us a better understanding of who we are. DNA is the blueprints or recipe that controls everything about our makeup from the good to the bad; from your hair to the hair on your toes… (ex.).
2. You are a walking representation of your family tree. So ladies if you are looking for certain traits in your man, you better ask for a picture of his mommas parents. That will let you know if you will always be able to run your fingers through his hair later on in life or wind up just polishing his head or parking those fingers on the cul-de-sac. Hey men same goes for you take a look at momma to see your future. Despite what science says I didn’t come from no monkey, there is not one DNA test that can prove me and Curious George are related. My little girl loves him but one day I will have to explain that Curious George want be joining us for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
D. Our blood has two types of cells red and white. White blood cells are part of the immune system and are involved in defending the body against both infectious disease and foreign materials while Red blood cells primarily carry oxygen and collect carbon dioxide and have the job alongside the white blood cells of protecting the healthy cells, I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
1. DNA can only be extracted from the white blood cells, there is no genetic information found in red blood cells. All physiological characteristics can only be traced by the white blood cells in your body.
2. The white blood cells may link you to your earthly parentage but your spiritual DNA is located your red blood cells. I know it sounds crazy but there are two undisputable things we cannot live without our blood and oxygen. In Genesis when everything was being created God spoke it all into existence with the exception of man. He took the time to make man in His image. He crafted man from the dust of the earth in the image of the triune God-Head and finished the process by not speaking man to rise and live but by breathing in him, the Bible says Ge 2:7 And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
3. Our blood is still carrying that breath of life, which has my other Father’s DNA attached to it and tells me that I have a destiny, that I have His nature, and I got His authority. That’s my DNA – destiny, nature, and authority in God.
4. Sin may have tainted my blood at birth but when I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior there was a blood transfusion that took place from Calvary’s cross. In Joh 19:34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. Thank God this happened, for I needed a place to be grafted into. Now we can be a part of the body of Christ, flesh of His flesh, bone of His bone. "A joint heir".
5. His side is a matrix/womb a place for me to be joined in with Christ that’s how I was born again. The blood redeems me the water empowers me with the Holy Spirit; I now have a spiritual umbilical cord; all that is in Him is now in me every time His heart beats blessings, healing, miracle, etc. flow to me.
a. Now that I am joined at His side (joint heirs) I go where he wants me to go, the goal is set; the finish line is up ahead, all I have to do is keep up and stay connected. I got one foot in heaven and another on earth. This is how I can tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. When I step He steps with me and what I step on He steps on!
b. This Bible is all about the blood …without shedding of blood is no remission. It starts with the blood and ends with the blood. If you’re going to be saved and walk in peace and power it won’t happen just because you attend this church. It won’t happen because you know the pastor personally. It won’t happen because you sing hymns and quote some scripture.
c. It will be because of the blood “redemption through blood.” “peace through blood.” SONG: “My faith is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frain, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name!!!” “Some through the water, some through the flood but all must come through the BLOOD!”
6. I am not just trying to show you who you are but whose you are. If this was the Maury show and God and Satan was on it, they would give him the envelope and split the screen up to show you beside God and Satan, as Maury would read in the case of Sean Dees, there would be a long dramatic pause before he says…Satan your are not the father, the audience would go crazy as me and God get all up in Satan’s grill as we remind him that he is to leave me alone, don’t call me, don’t text me, and stay in hell where he belongs.
IV. The privileges of the Blood is that I am a a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
A. We are King’s Kids and that entitles me to special privileges, as a Royal Ambassadors. 2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ…
1. An ambassador is an official envoy who represents a foreign sovereign, providing a link between his host country and the country he represents. Ambassadors work to build relations and develop policies that favor both the host and the home of the ambassador. An ambassador is appointed by the leadership of those he represents and is given authority to speak on their behalf. An Ambassador spends so much time with the one he represents that he knows them and knows how to act and speak on his behalf.
B. As an ambassador for Christ I am not only spreading the message of the Kingdom to this world but I am entitled to diplomatic immunity against the ruler of this world. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].
1. The enemy may subject us to the laws of this world but he can’t enforce them on us. The law death does not apply, the law of sin does not apply, O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory? the laws of sickness does not apply, by whose stripes ye were healed. the laws of hell do not apply; Jesus said [I am] he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
C. As a diplomat wherever I go I can enjoy sovereignty, even in places that the enemy claims as his. In Lu 19:13 it says to “Occupy till I come”. That phrase is found within the familiar parable of the ten talents. You know the story each person that received a portion of talent invested and made it into a greater portion except one and he did nothing. That phrase really stood out to me.
1. The word occupy has many meanings, now its meaning in Luke 19:13 means only “to busy oneself” or “trade” so there is no special Greek meaning here that is about to unlock some hidden nugget.
2. There is though, another meaning which states that the word “Occupy” means to “March aggressively into another's territory by military force for the purposes of conquest and occupation”. The moment I put a military spin on that phrase; I realized that I don’t need to go to the enemy’s camp and take back what he stole from me, I need to go to the enemy’s camp and take the whole camp and throw his sorry behind out; the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
3. We have been given the power and the inheritance to claim everything in this book, every promise is mine; we need to stop taking a little healing, stop taking a little… I’m going to occupy my blessing! As a child of the King, I am not the devil’s door mat. What some of you need to do is tell the devil, “YOU CAN’T TOUCH THIS”!
4. I am calling everyone that feels like a spiritual bastard, and by that I mean the devil has told you that you are nothing, that God doesn’t love you, doesn’t want you, that you will never be anything, that you can read about God’s favor but never have it. I am declaring to you that you are not a bastard but a son, a daughter of the most High and you need to be reminded of that.
5. This may be a moment for some to receive a blood transfusion to join the family of God, for others you may need spiritual dialysis and just need a cleansing, for others it may just be a reminder of who your daddy is and who you represent. Jesus’ blood speaketh better things than [that of] Abel. His blood speaks louder than your guilt and condemnation, louder then your sickness, …your pain, your depression. The blood is calling out to you, that you can find rest from your labors, peace in the midst of your storm, you are healed, are an overcomer, … YOU ARE ROYALITY!
6. They (meaning us) overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; when the enemy comes to you saying, “you used to do this” Say, “The Blood.” “You used to be a” The Blood. “You have cancer” The Blood. “The dr. said you have 6 months” The Blood. “They say there is no cure” The Blood! Satan the blood is against you!!!
