Pastor Liam Swaine shared the following message on Sunday 9 January 2011:
Jesus ministered out of who He was, and who He belonged to. Let's also think about our identity, how we live from it, not for it.
Identity comes, in its purest form, from God Himself. In fact, read 1 Samuel 10:6, where we learn how we can be changed into the person we are created to be.
That idea of identity is something we also read about in Genesis 1:26, where man was created like God. In Genesis 3, the devil tempted them to perform something to be like God. The truth was, they were already created in God's likeness. They believed the liar and empowered the lie. From that point on, sin entered the world. Jesus came to restore our identity.
So what opposes us now? That's simple - the devil comes to steal our identity, kill our hope and future, and destroy our lives. But Jesus has come to give us life to the full.
God's own Son knew who He was. We can see that in the story of our Saviour going into the wilderness. You see, Jesus needed to have a private victory in the wilderness before He had a public one. Speaking of private victories before the public ones, Moses, too, needed to be first out of his home so he could learn the ways of royalty. Public victory then followed.
Today, we who believe in Him get what Jesus deserved. Looking back, Adam went from a saint to a sinner. And now, we go from sinners to saints as Christians.
Do you know that we have what the devil wanted. He wanted to be like God and sit in heavenly places.
So, believers, you are called to go into the world so people will see the Father in us. In reality, we live in the world we are most aware of. So live from Heaven towards earth.
The story of two sons - often referred to as the Prodigal Son story - is about identity and the inheritance that flows from that. The wayward son had asked for inheritance and only got wealth. When he returned, he was given a robe for identity, a ring for authority and sandals that represented purity. When we come home to God, we receive an identity and inheritance. We often do not claim it. I'm fact, the other son was counseled that he always had those kingdom privileges.
Today is the day to claim your rightful identity. Let's extend the Kingdom of God that we own right now.
Jesus ministered out of who He was, and who He belonged to. Let's also think about our identity, how we live from it, not for it.
Identity comes, in its purest form, from God Himself. In fact, read 1 Samuel 10:6, where we learn how we can be changed into the person we are created to be.
That idea of identity is something we also read about in Genesis 1:26, where man was created like God. In Genesis 3, the devil tempted them to perform something to be like God. The truth was, they were already created in God's likeness. They believed the liar and empowered the lie. From that point on, sin entered the world. Jesus came to restore our identity.
So what opposes us now? That's simple - the devil comes to steal our identity, kill our hope and future, and destroy our lives. But Jesus has come to give us life to the full.
God's own Son knew who He was. We can see that in the story of our Saviour going into the wilderness. You see, Jesus needed to have a private victory in the wilderness before He had a public one. Speaking of private victories before the public ones, Moses, too, needed to be first out of his home so he could learn the ways of royalty. Public victory then followed.
Today, we who believe in Him get what Jesus deserved. Looking back, Adam went from a saint to a sinner. And now, we go from sinners to saints as Christians.
Do you know that we have what the devil wanted. He wanted to be like God and sit in heavenly places.
So, believers, you are called to go into the world so people will see the Father in us. In reality, we live in the world we are most aware of. So live from Heaven towards earth.
The story of two sons - often referred to as the Prodigal Son story - is about identity and the inheritance that flows from that. The wayward son had asked for inheritance and only got wealth. When he returned, he was given a robe for identity, a ring for authority and sandals that represented purity. When we come home to God, we receive an identity and inheritance. We often do not claim it. I'm fact, the other son was counseled that he always had those kingdom privileges.
Today is the day to claim your rightful identity. Let's extend the Kingdom of God that we own right now.
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