Sermons from March 2017
I am an Alien
In 1 Peter 2:11-12, Peter wrote, “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.” The author of Hebrews identified the heroes of faith as “strangers and exiles on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13). Why was this identity attributed to God’s elect, what do we learn about God’s expectation for His people from this identity, and how does it impact how we relate to the world around us? Sermon Handout 1…
I am a Priest
Peter indicated that Christians “are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God’s] own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). In similar fashion, John said that Jesus “made [the church] a kingdom, priests to his God and Father” (Revelation 1:6). Both utilized an identity God stated of His people in Exodus 19:5-6. How did we receive the identity of…
I am a Child
Throughout the New Testament, God is consistently referred to as “Father” (Matthew 5:48; 6:1-15; 7:11; John 4:23; 14:2-3; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6; Galatians 1:3-4; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 3:17), and we are consistently referred to as “children,” “sons,” and “heirs” (Matthew 18:3-4; John 1:12-13; Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 3:24-29; 4:1-7; Ephesians 1:3-5; 5:1; Philippians 2:14-15; Hebrews 12:5-11; 1 Peter 1:14-19; 1 John 3:1-3, 9-10). What bearing should these identities have on our relationship with God? Sermon Handout 1 JOHN 3:1-3 See what kind of…
Identity Crisis
Who am I? It’s an important question because it’s a question about identity. In fact, psychologists have theorized that we all experience an identity crisis during our adolescent years that determines our understanding of who we are for the rest of our lives. But the identity we adopt during our adolescent years is not nearly as important as the identity we adopt during our rebirth into Christ. God has a specific list of identities He intends for His people to…