What God Values Most Part 2
What God Says About Our Identity In Him
Scripture: Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Second Corinthians 5:20; Romans 8:35-37
This is part two of the message I delivered last week titled, “What God Values Most.” Last week I told you that what God values most out of all of His creation are you and me. At the end of that message I shared with you a few things that God has said about us in acknowledging how much He values us. This morning I want to close the message with a few additional statements that God has made about our identity in Him. As you think about what I shared last week, God wants us to know that we are not just some “poor human” existing here on earth waiting to die and go to heaven to get a reward. We are not just a "nobody" who exists in obscurity. He wants us to know that we are somebody and He has placed within us the ability and resources that we need to accomplish His will here on earth. As you listen to the message this morning, I want to remind you of what I told you last week. It is up to each of us to decide if we believe what the Word of God says about us. There are people when they read the Bible read it as if they are reading a novel. The things they read about are onetime events that applied only to those people in the Bible. When they read the New Testament they do not believe that God is speaking to them individually but that it is just a story of history. In the Old Testament, God says in Malachi 3:6, “For I, the LORD, do not change…..” In the New Testament, Hebrews 12:8 records that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” If we believe that God does not change and that Jesus is alway the same, then what has been stated in His Word applies to each of us today just as it did for those during the time it was written.
With this belief in mind, I want to share with you what God has said about us, and all those who accepted His Son, Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior. The first thing I want to share this morning comes from Deuteronomy chapter twenty-eight. In this chapter Moses tells the Children of Israel, “(1) Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. (2) All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God.” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2) Moses reviews a list of blessings that will come upon them and overtake them if they keep the commandments of God. When you read verses three through twelve, you see that every aspect of their life will be blessed. Those blessing do not mean that they would not experience some hard times, but in the fullness of God’s timing, overall they would be blessed if they kept His commandments. But the verses I want you to focus on this morning are verses thirteen and fourteen. It says, “(13) The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully, (14) and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.” (Deuteronomy 28:13-14)
As I said previously, these verses closed out a long list of blessings that God told the Children of Israel would be theirs if they kept His commandments. Now if you are wondering if these blessings also belong to us, listen to what is recorded in Galatians 3:29. It says, “And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you.” Paul confirms that we, as believers in Christ, become eligible for all of the promises God gave to Abraham – if we are keeping God’s commandments. That requirement does not go away just because we accepted Christ as our personal Savior. As a matter of fact, Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) There is no skating around keeping His commandments in order to walk in His blessings. But if we truly love Jesus and we are keeping His commandments, then the promise found in the 13th verse – that we are the head and not the tail – belongs to us.
I want you to think about the difference between the head and the tail on an animal. The head is the key to what the body does. The head enables the rest of the body to operate. The head makes the decisions and takes the lead in everything that goes on with the body. The tail is the posterior part of an animal’s body. It follows the head wherever it takes the body. The tail does not make any decision about what the body does; it just goes where the rest of the body goes which is controlled by the head. With that image, think about what God was telling the Children of Israel as part of the promise He made to Abraham – a promise which also applies to us. He was telling them that if they were obedient, Israel would be an independent power and leader among nations. What this meant was they would not be dependent on any other nation to lead them, to give them guidance or to provide for their needs. They would be in the driver’s seat, not in the back seat. They would be the one in control because they were walking with God in obedience to His commandments.
Think about what happens whenever you are driving a car. If you are behind the wheel, you control where the car goes. If you want to turn left, you can. If you want to turn right or make a u-turn, you can. This is not so if you are riding in the back seat. If you are riding in the back, you go wherever the person sitting behind the wheel takes you. Even if you were a back seat driver, you still had no “real” control over where the car went. Before we were saved, Satan was behind the wheel and we went wherever he led us because he was in control. But, when we got saved, Jesus kicked Satan out of the front seat, out of the car, and placed us behind the wheel as God’s children. Now listen closely to what I am about to say because our being behind the wheel does not mean that Jesus is in the backseat. When Jesus placed us behind the wheel, He gave us the driver’s manual (His Word) so that we could learn to drive in a world that did not want us to have that authority. And, because He knew we would need additional help, He left us an instructor (the Holy Spirit) to make sure we would learn what we needed to know. Jesus put us in the driver’s seat. We are now in control and we get to decide where the car goes. Satan is on the outside of the car running beside us trying to get us to open the door and let him back in. Don’t do it! Remember the words of the old song that says “Don’t let the devil ride, you let him ride, he’ll want to drive, don’t let him ride.” God has placed us in control – He has given us authority! God has established us so that we take the leadership position in this world if we keep His commandments. We are not to be followers of the world, but leaders within it! It is our responsibility to establish the path for others who do not know Christ so that they may find Him through the example that they see in each of us. God has not made us the tail. He has not placed us in the back seat of the car. We have accepted Christ and we are in the driver’s seat so START DRIVING!!!!!
Now turn with me to Second Corinthians 5:20. It says, “Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” We have a high-ranking and influential job in the Kingdom of God. Our position is so important that we have the Kingdom of God backing us up. Why do I say this? In the verse above, Paul says that we are ambassadors for Christ. Do you know what an ambassador is? Webster’s dictionary defines ambassador as “the highest ranking diplomatic representative of one country to another.” An ambassador is one that represents a nation to a foreign land. He or she is a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or king. An ambassador is also an authorized messenger who has the power to make decisions and to represent the will of the government, nation or king he/she represents. They are official representatives who are authorized to speak on behalf of the sender. So as Christ’s ambassador, we have an official job to do. If you need proof of your ambassadorship just remember that Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” (John 14:12)
As Christ representatives we are authorized to speak and to act on His behalf. When we do those things that we have been authorized to do, heaven backs us up. There are angels on assignments helping us as we fulfill what God has called us to do. The Holy Spirit leads us, but there are angels all around us assisting our efforts. The world that we live in is a foreign country for us. Those who do not know Christ are the residents of this foreign country. Christ has sent us to them to build a lasting relationship through diplomatic means whereby He can impact their lives. We are fully backed up; fully funded; fully defended and fully assisted by the authority and resources of Heaven. We are an important part of God’s plan here on earth. We have been invested with royal powers, including the name of Jesus. Angels stand ready to assist us in our ministry work, in our efforts to complete the assignment that Christ has given us as His ambassadors. Being ambassadors for Christ does not mean that we will not have hard times. Actually it guarantees that we will have some hard times because we have an enemy who is working against us. However, we have been given the assurance that we will succeed. Remember what we read last week about being more than conquerors? Romans 8:35-37 says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we face death all day long, we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
There have been many times that I have felt beaten down like I was carrying the weight of the whole world on my shoulders. There have been times when no matter how hard I’ve tried it did not seem to be working the way I believed God wanted it to go. There were times when I wanted to give up and walk away. You see, it seems like it is easier if you only have yourself to worry about, especially when it comes to ministry work. But when I read Romans 8:35-37, I am reminded that regardless of what I experience God has already made me victorious because of the love He has for me and the love that I have for Him and the respect and honor that I give to Him. Verse thirty-five reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Why is this important to understand? In war, one of the tactics of the enemy is to cut off the supply line so that he can separate the soldiers from the supplies necessary to carry on the battle. When the soldiers become isolated from their supplies, their morale becomes low and often times they end up losing the battle. In these verses we find that nothing can separate us from our supply line. What we need in order to be victorious is guaranteed to be there in full, uninterrupted abundance. And because I am connected to Christ and this connection cannot be broken by the enemy, I’ve learned to see myself as a champion in the battle, not a loser. Even if others might define or see me as a loser, I focus on how God sees me! I’ve learned to carry myself as one who is victorious and not as one who is in a constant state of defeat. How we perceive ourselves is very important because it will ultimately affect the way other people perceive us. It is a proven fact that we will project to others what we feel about ourselves. If you see yourself as a loser, people will see that too. If you see yourself as confident, people will see and accept you as that also.
Let me tell you a true story. In 1969 a young man named George Foreman came on the boxing scene. He was beating up on everyone that came before him because he was an intimidating force. He believed in his heart that he could not be beaten. When he walked in the ring, he acted like he was the champion. In one fight he hit Joe Frazier so hard that Joe skipped across the ring. He had power and the self-confidence that he was a winner. In 1974, after he won the championship, he had a fight against Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali also saw himself as a champion and he believed that he could beat George Foreman. In that fight, George Foreman was the bigger man with the harder punches. But you know who won? Muhammad Ali. How did he do this? Besides using his famous rope-a-dope fighting style, he actually talked to George Forman throughout the fight. He told George Forman that he was weak and that he could not hurt him. After receiving repeated punches to his arms and body, Ali said “They told me you were strong George. They said you could punch. Is that all you got?” When George heard this, he became angry and tried to hit even harder. What George did was tire himself out and Muhammad Ali knocked him out in the 8th round. After the fight George complained that Ali had talked throughout the fight. Muhammad Ali got into George Foreman’s head and George lost sight of who he believed he was and temporarily accepted what Ali said about him.
For this reason we should understand what Paul says in Romans 8:35-37. Although we may go through hardships and even face death, we are more than conquerors. We must keep that within or hearts and minds because our enemy will try to get us to see ourselves differently, as losers. When Paul uses the term “more than” he is saying we are over, above and way beyond conquerors. He is implying the idea of superiority, something that is unsurpassed. In other words, we are “super-conquerors” in Jesus Christ. When he uses the word “conqueror” he is saying that we are an overcomer, a champion. We are an overwhelming, prevailing force. We are not weak and we are not losers, we are champions. We must see ourselves as being more than a conqueror, more than a champion. We cannot let the enemy talk us into believing we are less than conquerors. If the enemy can get us to believe his lie then a knock out and defeat will follow. God has given us everything we need, we have been equipped. Now turn to Second Timothy 3:16-17 for our last Scripture. I want you to know how to access everything God has placed within your control – including your identity.
Second Timothy 3:16-17 says, “(16) All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; (17) so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” Paul shares with us that the Word of God is what prepares us to operate in this life. The Word of God prepares us to be ambassadors for Christ. I waited until this scripture to mention this because it’s important to understand that when we are first born again, we are not ambassadors. Yes, we are sons and daughters, but we are not ambassadors. An ambassador is trained in righteousness – in knowing what is right in God’s eyes through the teaching, the reproof and the correction found in His Word. Ambassadors know who they represent and what their king expects and we see this in the Greek word for “adequate, equipped” which means to “completely deck out or to fully supply.” The word was used to depict a ship that had previously been ill-equipped for traveling; but because its owner had decked it out with new equipment and gear, this ship had become adequate and equipped to sail anywhere in the world. Before we get into God’s Word, we are not ready, nor equipped to really go out and be effective in the world. However, once we get into the Word and make it a part of our lives, we become equipped and are able to be effective in whatever area of ministry God has placed us in. God’s Word operating in our lives changes our hearts and souls and enable us to start seeing ourselves as He sees us. When we first came to Jesus, we were like the ill-equipped boat, just beginners who hardly knew enough to get by in life. Although we were saved and on our way to Heaven, we hadn’t had enough of God’s Word placed within us to fully equip us for sailing through all kinds of weather. As we read and study God’s Word, it begins to equip us with all of the spiritual gear we need to take the adventurous trip God has planned for our lives. When God’s Word is fitted tightly into place, we will be ready to set sail and follow wherever the Holy Spirit leads. Understanding God’s Word is critical to how you see yourself and what you will believe you are able to do as a Christian.
As I told you last week, we are not losers, or a failure, or without the ability to achieve in this life. When God sealed us, He approved of who we were and what we were going to be. He has made us ambassadors for Christ, more than a conqueror and placed us in a leadership position (the head and not the tail). This is not the image of someone weak. We have power, we have heaven backing us up and we have everything we need to walk as light in darkness. The only thing that is left is for us to choose to believe that we are more than what Satan has told us about ourselves. The time is now to start walking in who we are and what God has placed within us. May God bless and keep you.
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)
(We are once again conducting live services on Sunday morning beginning at 9:15 a.m. We will continue to broadcast live on Facebook Live at 10:00 a.m.. Please tune in to "New Light Christian Fellowship Church" and like our page if you wish to watch our broadcast and be notified when we go live. If you are ever in the Kansas City, KS area, please come and worship with us at New Light Christian Fellowship, 15 N. 14th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102. We also have Thursday night Bible study at 7 p.m. via Zoom that you are also welcome to attend – please email me for the link. Also, for use of our social media, you can find us at newlightchristianfellowship on FB. To get our live stream services, please make sure you “like” and turn on notifications for our page so you can be notified when we are live streaming. We also have a church website and New Light Christian Fellowship YouTube channel for more of our content. If you would like to donate to our ministry you may do so through our website: newlightchristianfellowship.org by clicking on the PayPal or Cash App buttons. May God bless and keep you.)
