Sermon Tone Analysis

Part 1, Finding and Embracing the Real You

March 18, 2007

 

Introduction: Who are you?

That is always an interesting question to ask, isn’t it?

How do you identify yourself?

By your job?

By your family?

By your community?

By your role?

Or By HOW OTHER PEOPLE SEE YOU? How do you identify yourself?

We have been talking about taking Jesus, the Jesus who is IN you, out into the world—the marketplace, if you will.

And just as important in this relocation of God is not just “how” you do this, but “why” you CAN do this.

The Bible is very clear that when you have “Christ IN you” you also are “IN Christ.”

You are in fact—the sum total of WHO God says you are.

When you are IN Christ, you have a NEW identify.

In order for this new identity to become reality (because it really is the real you) you must embrace it and make it yours.

In order to do that you must live as a person who is loved, accepted, and forgiven and confidence, courage, and trust must be the very fiber of who are.

We now live under the New Covenant with God.

Explain covenant briefly—God has always had relationship with us based on a covenant relationship.

Covenant always has two sides—under the Old Covenant, God fulfilled his side and we were to fulfill our side (live by the 10 commandments which set the terms for our side of the covenant—however we not only did not obey, we could not obey.

When that happened God set up a system of rituals to help us –animal sacrifice—the shedding of blood but the problem with the that system was that it was not permanent and it did not change us.

Under the new covenant we have a covenant that is permanent—made that way by the sinless blood of Jesus our Lord, and a new birth for us—we are no longer who were were—we are now a new person IN Christ Jesus!

Paul writes in two places that we are new creations in Christ Jesus our Lord— "Therefore, if anyone is *in Christ*, he is a new creation.

The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

(2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV NT Rev. Int.)  and— "For neither circumcision (sign of the old covenant) counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but *a new creation*."

(Galatians 6:15, ESV NT Rev. Int.)

In this new creation we are

 

1.

Justified (legal term means to be declared righteous) in Christ (Romans 3:24)

2.     Sanctified (made holy) in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:2)

3.     Vindicated (God defends us we don’t defend ourselves) in Christ (2 Corinthians 12:19)

4.     Liberated (from sin and self) in Christ (Galatians 2:4)

5.     Exultant (to glory in to boast)  in Christ (Philippians 1:26)

6.     Complete (the fullness of God dwells now in us) in Christ (Colossians 2:9 and 10)

7.     Gracious (full of Grace) in Christ (Philemon 15-16)

8.     Hopeful (expectation of good) in Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:3)

9.     Strong and Faithful in Christ (1 Timothy 1:18-19)

10.

Triumphant (you are the aroma of God to the world) in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14)

You are all of these things IN Christ!

Can you see who you are?  God defines you—you don’t define yourself—others do not define who you are.

In Christ you have EVERY spiritual blessing—you are complete, whole—nothing missing—you are loved, accepted, and forgiven—so live that way!

 

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved."

(Ephesians 1:3-6, ESV NT Rev. Int.)

 

" I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ."

(Romans 15:29, ESV NT Rev. Int.)

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[1]  Schwandt, J., & Collins, C. J. (2006; 2006).

/The ESV English-Greek Reverse Interlinear New Testament/.

Logos Research Systems, Inc.