I am Complete in Christ

Colossians 2:10 (NLT) So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

I. Many Christians struggle in their walk with Christ and in their everyday life for one of two reasons:

A. Lack of knowledge (understanding).

Too many Christians accept the amazing gift of salvation but then never grow and mature in their faith and walk with Christ.  They don’t read the Word for themselves and they rely on the prayers and faith of others to see them through.  Hosea tells us that it is lack of knowledge that causes us to be destroyed by our enemy the devil. 

Hosea 4:6a (NIV) My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. 

B. Failure to apply the knowledge they have.

James 1:22-25 (NIV) Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

II. God has given us all we need for life and godliness.

2 Peter 1:2-3 May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

Do we really believe it when the Word says, “God has given (past tense- at salvation) us everything (all encompassing) we need for living a godly life.”

III. It all comes down to understanding the sufficiency of Christ and the sufficiency of the Word. 

A. Christ’s sufficiency proven on the Cross. 

The death of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment in history of the very mind and intent of God. There is no place for seeing Jesus Christ as a martyr. His death was not something that happened to Him— something that might have been prevented. His death was the very reason He came.   …The greatest note of triumph ever sounded in the ears of a startled universe was that sounded on the Cross of Christ— “It is finished!” (John 19:30). (Oswald Chambers – My Utmost For His Highest)

B. The Word is sufficient and we need to let it dwell in us. 

Colossians 3:16a (NIV) Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.

1. Reading the Word  

We must be people of the Word.  As we weren’t alive to physically hear Jesus speak like the disciples did, we “hear” His teachings through reading the Word. Being in the Word daily will allow the Holy Spirit to speak into our lives through the Word.  It will also give Him something to remind us of when we are in trouble or struggling. 

John 14:26 (NLT) But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

2. Meditate on the Word

Webster’s Dictionary defines meditate as: to focus one's thoughts on.  When the Holy Spirit brings a scripture to mind, we read the Word and something “jumps” out at us, or we are facing a difficulty we need to meditate on the Word.

The Word is full of promises and declarations about our walk/life. (We will look at some of these a little later.) We need to meditate on these until they become part of our spiritual DNA.  They need to be so ingrained in our hearts and minds that they are on “speed dial” when needed.   

Joshua 1:8 (NLT) Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

3. Study the Word

Webster’s Dictionary defines study as: the activity or process of learning about something by reading, memorizing facts, attending school, etc. We must be not only people of the Word, but students of the Word as well.  We must be committed to studying the Word.  Not just reading through it quickly, but digging in and discovering the meaning and application for our lives. 

2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

4. Apply the Word

We must be doers of the Word not just hearers.  Applying the Word to our lives will give us the strength, courage, power, peace, etc. we need to face and defeat the enemy.  When we know and apply the Word we are a force to be reckoned with. 

James 1:22-25 (NIV) Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

IV. Promises and Statements from the Word to meditate on.

A. Provision

Blessed be the Lord who daily loads me with benefits - Psalm 68:19.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. - Matthew 6:33.

No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly - Psalm 84:11.

My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus - Philippians 4:19.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”- Luke 6:38.

B. Wisdom

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell. - Colossians 1:19

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.  - Psalm 37:23  

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.  - 2 Corinthians 9:8

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.  - Proverbs 3:5-6

Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established. - Proverbs 16:3

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. - James 1:5-8

C. Protection

No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.  - Psalm 91:10,11

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?  - Psalm 27:1

I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD. - Psalm 118:17

There are many more promises in the Word.  We need to find them and meditate on them.  Study them and make them part of our spiritual DNA. 

We are complete in Christ because Christ and the Word are sufficient.  We can depend on the Lord and rely on His Word to guide and direct our lives. 

I am an Ambassador for Christ

I. Ambassadors

A. Our primary role in the Kingdom of God is that of ambassador. We are to be representatives of the King of Kings! 

Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father."

2 Corinthians 5:20 "So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, 'Come back to God!'”

B. Ambassador: an official envoy; an authorized representative or messenger

II. The great commission calls us to be ambassadors (disciple makers).

Matthew 28:18-20 "Jesus came and told his disciples, 'I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'"

III. One Ambassador to Another

Acts 8:27-40 (NLT) So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”

30 Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

31 The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.

32 The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter.    And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 33 He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”

34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” 35 So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.

36 As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” 38 He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.

A. Ambassador for the Queen

1. The Ethiopian eunuch was an ambassador for the Queen of Ethiopia.  (v. 27)

2. He was a worshipper of God. (vs. 27)

3. He was reading from the book of Isaiah. (vs 28)

4. He did not understand what he was reading. (vs. 30-31)

5. He invited Phillip into his chariot indicating his desire to learn. (vs. 31)

B. Ambassador for the King of Kings

1. Phillip had been one of the apostles. (John 1:43 (NLT) The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.”)

a. The word apostle is from the Greek “apostlos” which means “a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders”

b. The apostles (disciples) were sent out by God and commissioned by Christ to make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:18-20)

c. Phillip was led by the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:26 As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.”)

d. Phillip explained the meaning of the passage in Isaiah.  He told the eunuch that the one written about was Jesus. (vs 34)

e. Phillip baptized the eunuch once he believed. (36-38)

III. We are Ambassadors

God has not called all of us to leave home and country to be missionaries. He has not called all of us to stand on street corners and preach. He has not called all of us to be pastors, evangelists, etc.

However, he has called us all to love others. John 13:35 "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

He has called all of us to do good. Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."  These good deeds might be acts of service, giving to those in need, speaking a word of encouragement, etc.

God has called all of us to have a servants heart and attitude. Mark 10:43-45 "But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

We are called to be salt and light. Matthew 5:13-14 "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden." As salt we can influence the "flavor" of our culture. As light we can "illuminate" our culture. We do this by living lives of holiness. Living for others rather than for ourselves.

We must always remember that we are ambassadors of Christ. Our actions and attitudes must always reflect those of the One we represent. If we are called by the name of Christ, "Christian", we must live like him, serve like him, think like him, act like him, and speak like him. This is a tall order but we are not doing it in our own strength. We are doing it through Christ. Philippians 4:13 "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength."

Let us influence our corner of the world, those around us, by being faithful ambassadors for our King!

I am God's Child

I.  We are children of God.

John 1:12 (NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

In the early 1970s, a social scientist named Philip Zimbardo led a team of scientists from Stanford University in an interesting experiment. The team built a mock prison in the basement of the University’s psychology department. The scientists placed advertisements in the local papers looking for volunteers who would participate in the experiment. Zimbardo and his colleagues selected twenty-four people to participate, choosing the ones who appeared to be the most emotionally stable and healthy.

Half of the group was randomly selected to be prison guards. They were given military-style guard uniforms and dark glasses. They were told their responsibility was to keep order. The other half of the group became the prisoners. They were arrested in their homes, cuffed, brought to a real police station, fingerprinted, and then blindfolded for the trip to the mock prison. They wore prison clothes with numbers on the front and back of the clothing. The number became their identity. They were only allowed to refer to themselves and others by their numbers. In post interviews with the prisoners in the experiment, they confessed that when their identity became a number, they felt helpless and hopeless. Four of the prisoners were pulled from the experiment early because of emotional breakdowns including extreme depression, crying, rage, and anxiety. Other prisoners incited rebellions and riots against the guards. When the mock prisoners forgot who they really were, they became depressed. Their self-perception impacted their thinking, attitude, and ultimately their behavior. When they believed that they were criminals, they began to live like criminals. The experiment was intended to last two weeks, but Zimbardo shut it down after six days because of the chaos that was ensuing. When he was dismissing some of the mock prisoners, he needed to remind them that they were not prisoners, that the scenario was not real. Unfortunately many Christians live as powerless Christian lives because they have forgotten their identity in Christ. We need to stop believing Satan's lies and realize who we are in Christ. (Jerry Flury Saved by Grace Ministry)

Galatians 4:6-7 (NLT) And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

Satan would lie to us and tell us that we are victims of our past.  Like we saw in “Masterpiece” this is a lie.  When we accept Christ as our Savior we are born into a new family; the family of God!

II. We have been adopted by God.

Ephesians 1:5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

Galatians 4:4-7 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

In Galatians 4, Paul is writing to people who understood Roman law.  Under Roman law adoption as a son meant that the son had the right to the name and the citizenship of the adoptive father.  The adopted son had the right to inherit the property of the adoptive parents as well as having the same rights and privileges as a natural born son. 

It is interesting to note that these rights were not afforded to adopted daughters. Paul understood this and under the anointing of the Holy Spirit he called us all sons of God which told the Jewish believers of his day that everyone is adopted into the family of God and has the same rights and privileges. 

Another amazing fact is that under Roman law, the adoptive father was granted the full rights and responsibilities of a father, full authority over the adopted son, with the full responsibility to care for him. 

WOW!!!

The Free Dictionary.com defines adoption as: To take on the legal responsibilities as parent of (a child that is not one's biological child).

III. Our adoption is a legal binding agreement between God and us. 

A. We receive:

1. A new name: Child of God

Galatians 3:26 (NLT) For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

2. Citizenship of our Father: Heaven

Philippians 3:20 (NLT) But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

3. Access to the property of our Father: financial resources, health, freedom of all kinds, power, wisdom, peace, joy, protection, etc.  These things are not reserved until we reach heaven, they are ours today.  We just need to learn to access them through unwavering faith.

4. The same rights and privileges that Christ has: When Jesus spoke things happened; if we speaking in faith according to God’s Word our words will carry the same power as His.  The issue is not that God is withholding anything from us; it is that we have not learned how to wield our faith to see the desired results in our lives. 

Mark 11:23 (NIV) “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.

B. God receives:

1. Full authority over our lives.

Before we were saved we were destined for judgement and destruction.  Due to the parameters God established for Himself, He did not have authority over our lives.  That authority had been relinquished by mankind to the enemy.  God had been relegated to waiting for us to “come to our senses.” God had no choice but to judge us guilty of crimes committed “against the throne.”  He had no alternative but to sentence us to eternal separation from Him (hell). 

Once we come to God through saving faith in Christ the Father’s hands are loosened, so to speak, and He now has a legal right to declare us redeemed and free from the law of sin and death.  He can now bestow upon us eternal life with Him in His Kingdom! 

2. Full responsibility to care for us. 

Think about a parent’s responsibility to care for their child.  What does that responsibility involve?

a. Providing for all the child’s needs.

Philippians 4:19 (NIV) And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. 

Psalm 37:25 (NIV) I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.

Matthew 6:8 (NIV) Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Philippians 4:6 (NIV) Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

If there was something that was good for your child, that was in your power to give, would you withhold it from them?  Of course not!  God knows what is good for us and He has the power to provide it.  Think about it, our Father knows what we need before we ask, He promises to meet our needs, and the Psalmist tells us that the righteous are never forsaken.  We only need to ask and our Father has the right and authority to meet our needs. 

b. Protecting the child: physically, spiritually, and emotionally (we are imperfect and can’t possible do this 100% perfectly) but our Father can!!!

Psalm 121:7 (NIV) The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life.

Read Psalm 91.  The entire chapter describes God’s protection and care for His children.

c. Train and teach the child. 

Psalm 86:11 (NIV) Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness.

Psalm 25:4 (NIV) Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.

1 John 2:27 (NIV) As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

John 14:26 (NIV) But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

d. Heal the broken heart and give comfort. 

Psalm 147:3 (NIV) He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Psalm 34:18 (NIV) The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (NIV) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

IV. Conclusion

Our adoption as sons of God was God’s desire and design from the beginning.  Our identity is not in our past failures or successes but in our family ties. We are Children of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! 

Let us not allow the enemy to lie to us and rob us of our inheritance.  We are heirs of God!! We are God’s childen!!

Identity in Christ Series (Masterpiece)

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Webster’s Dictionary defines Masterpiece as: a work done with extraordinary skill; especially:  a supreme intellectual or artistic achievement  

The Word tells us that we are God’s masterpiece. How does that make you feel?  Do you look in the mirror and see that masterpiece or do you see flaws, scars, brokenness, and wounds?  Do you wonder how God could love you knowing who you are and how you feel about yourself? 

Maybe you’ve been the victim of abuse. Or maybe you suffered at the hand of an over-bearing, demanding parent (or adult authority figure) who told you you were no good and would never amount to anything.  Maybe you struggled in school and were labeled (i.e. “slow” or “hyperactive”).  Maybe you’ve made choices that you regret and are still living with the consequences from today.

I can relate to most of the things above.  I was abused as a child by a child care provider and developed an eating disorder from that, my paternal grandmother criticized me on a daily basis for my weight, hygiene habits (which were fine by the wayJ), and for the cleanliness level of our home, I was abused by my second grade teacher and thus had a fear of reading out loud and struggled to even read at all, I was sent to a “special ed” class when I was in fourth grade due to the struggles with reading, and I was made fun of all through school because of my weight. 

I carried all of the scares, pain, brokenness, and wounds into my adult life.  I lived to please others and struggled to find my identity. One of my college professors told me to stop trying so hard to please others. I blew her off at the moment but later I realized that she had hit the nail on the head.  I struggled to find the place I fit in because I was so insecure that I feared rejection since I thought others would feel about me like I felt about me.  Little did I know that I was not my past. I was not the scares. I was not the pain.  My identity was not found in any of the things that happened to me.  They may have shaped my view of life, they may have influenced how I saw myself and others, but they were not and are not my identity.  I AM A MASTERPIECE and SO ARE YOU!!!

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

When you go to an estate sale or auction you will often see items that look like junk going for astronomical prices.  That is because someone realizes their value.  Sometimes it might be hidden under layers of dust and grime.  A masterpiece is usually framed well and if the paper seal on the back and the glass on the front are in tacked, it can be taken out and reframed and returned to its original value.  That’s how it is with us. The masterpiece of our lives might be hidden under layers of dust and decay.  When we come to Christ with all our hurts, wounds, scars, and pain, He makes us new creations.  He takes off our old “frame” and reframes us into the beautiful masterpiece He intended for us to be. 

Yes we might still have some hang-ups from our past, but as we begin to see ourselves in the light of who we were created to be and in the knowledge that we were created in the image of our Creator, we can begin to walk in the faith God placed within us on the day we accepted His glorious gift of salvation. 

2 Corinthians 5:7 (AMPC) For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance.

God doesn’t only love us when we make the right choices or if we don’t get damaged along the way.  He is love and as such His love is limitless and unreserved.  It was never His intention for us to be bruised, scared, wounded, or hurt in for first place.   Sadly, the fall caused God’s perfect masterpieces to be exposed to all the ugliness of sin in a fallen world that often feels devoid of love and compassion. 

1 John 4:8 (NLT) But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

God’s design for each of our lives was planned and thought out completely. When Monet painted a picture no one ever expected it to look awful.  He had a reputation for creating beauty.  Go outside at night and watch the sunset.  The same God who created all the beauty of the sunset created you.  No one says, “Wow, I bet the sunset will look awful tonight!”  Rather, people drive up into the mountains or go outside the city so they can enjoy it without the lights of town.  Artists set up easel and canvas in an attempt to capture the beauty of the sunset.  If God put that much thought and beauty into a sunset that vanishes within minutes, how much more care did He take in creating us in His image?

Psalm 139:14a (NIV) I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

As God’s masterpieces we can rest assured that He is always watching out for us. He is working on our behalf.  Due to the fallen state of our world we might have faced or might still face hard times.  We might face abuse, abandonment, rejection, hatred, deception, etc.  but nothing can separate us from our loving Heavenly Father who created us and who sees a Masterpiece when He looks at us.  You see He the Master of our lives and He holds us in the palm of His hand.  It is our job to stay put and to allow Him to bring the healing, and wholeness, to give us wisdom, strength, and grace, and to guide our lives as we look to Him in faith, trusting that He knows best and is working all things for our good. 

Romans 8:35 (NIV) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?