JULY 2005 IDENTITY CRISIS
Text: 2 Corinthians 4:3-4/3:18
2 Co 4:3-4
v.3) But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
v.4) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
2 Co 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are
changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
We see here that one looks in a glass or a mirror. Why is he looking in the mirror, but to see what he looks like or who he is and as he does he is aware of his present state and conforms the image of to the image of Christ. You see you don’t know something is wrong until you look in the mirror.
There is he who is blind because he doesn’t look into the mirror or so he therefore is blind to the problem of sin and unrighteousness.
There are some today that need to look into the mirror of Jesus Christ the ‘ Word of God” made flesh, I’m talking about the gospel. When I looked into the gospel is when I heard the preacher preach, it was the gospel that said, “your unrighteous and unholy”
“ your lost and undone”
“ you are a lyre, thief, murderer, adulterer, etc….”
When I looked in the gospel I saw who I was, then I excepted who I was, I saw who HE was and when I excepted him I could see who I am as a child of God a son of promise I don’t have to hide any more but now I can look into the mirror I’m not ashamed any more.
Radio Program
I heard a radio program the other day, the topic was homosexual ministers. A woman called in and introduced herself as a gay minister, and went on to say that she had talked to ministers, psychiatrist , etc… and all gave her the assurance that she was gay, and that was ok. The talk show host said something that make a lot of cense , she asked this woman what was her authority in this matter. You see everything was her authority but the most important person ever. Jesus Christ “The Word of God” the “Mirror” .
World Has A Identity Crisis
From the time that the first man and woman broke fellowship with God that first time mankind has been in a identity crisis. When the ear of man was deceived the words of Satan as he convinced them to believe what he would like us all to believe , YOU DON’T NEED GOD!
YOU ARE BETTER THAN GOD!
GOD DOESN’T WANT YOU!
BUT END RESULT IS ALWAYS YOU DON’T NEED GOD!
But it was when I looked into his eyes, the mirror, the gospel that I found who I was. I found love, joy, peace, etc….
Satan says you cant . There is no hope.
Jesus Christ says all things are possible for you in him.
Moses said , “who am I”
Gideon said,” I am just the least of my people”, but God said he was a man of valor.
Church is just a minority, but God says , you are a chosen people and a royal priesthood, a holy nation etc….
I will make you a fisher of men!
Jesus found Peter fishing for fish but also I believe he was fishing for a little satisfaction, purpose, happiness, peace, etc… Some of us have been fishing for a long time in this world for something we are not sure about, so let me tell you like Jesus told Peter follow Jesus Christ and allow him to make you a fisher of men, something with purpose, something with a point to it, find true contentment in Christ and not in the beggarly elements of this world.
Who do you say that I am?
Another time Jesus asked Peter the question, “ Who do you say that I am”? Thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God! Jesus said and thou art Peter! You see when you acknowledge him he will acknowledge you. We see who he is, it is then that we find who we are. He said upon this rock I will build my church.
It doesn’t sound all that great maybe that he acknowledged Peter but it was important because you see it was after the Lord had been crucified and Peter had fallen smack on his face and was out fishing around in the world again probably no doubt listening to the condemnation of the devil that we find him on a boat fishing. I can just hear it now from the devil,” Peter you blew it, and you are a failure, a loser , you better just stick with me Peter, you are mine”, I can imagine then that Peter probably heard those words of Christ again , Thou art Peter ! Then that is when he must have looked to the banks and saw the Lord standing there. The Lord said, “ cast your nets on the other side” then Peter started winning again.
Copper Wire illustration :
Copper wire can be used for a lot of different purposes, you can use it for a close line, you can bend it and manipulate it around your gate to keep the cows from getting out or whatever but it has much more potential that that. Inside of that copper wire is protons and electrons and when that wire is connected to a power source all those protons and electrons will get in formation and create what is called electric current. Before that piece of wire was bent , manipulated and twisted into all kinds of things, but now friend you better have respect for that thing because when it is connected to a power source it has full potential and if you touch it, it will knock you on your seat.
That is just like you , and I you see before we were bent twisted and manipulated by the deceit of the devil but now when we get connected to our power source, we are going to rock the devils world if he try’s to twist us around now.
Day of Pentecost
Cloven tongues of fire fell on their heads, you talk about getting hooked up! They did signs and wonders when they got hooked up too the source. They began to make a difference in their world when they got hooked up. We need to get hooked up and get electrified in the Holy Ghost .
Short Circuit
When a electrical circuit has a electrical charge it must be hooked up to a load ( light bulb, motor, etc.. something that will cause the circuit to be pulled and recreate current over and over again) or it will short circuit and eventually get so hot it will burn up and consume itself.
Some of us are feeling burned out with the routine, and we need to get hooked up to a load, I am talking about working for the kingdom rather that setting on our BOTTOMS! YOU ARE GOING TO GET BURNED OUT IF YOU ARE NOT CONTINUALLY CONNECTED TO SOMETHING OTHER THAT YOURSELVES .
ANYTHING OTHER THAT CHRIST IS A IDENTITY CRISIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
