New Identity in Christ

Friday, September 19, 2008

1 Peter 2:9-17
9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Submission to Rulers and Masters
13Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

Romans 13:14
14Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

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1. The characteristics of a person who’s identity in Christ is new is that we know and act like God’s chosen people, royal priests and holy nation. We are confident, unified and holy, and love because we have received His love. And also as a result of knowing that we are chosen, priests and holy, we can show others the goodness of God. We have received His mercy so we should be grateful and are able and should share that mercy with others as well.
2. To sustain/liven this new identity, we should keep away from worldly desires that wage war “against (our) very souls.” We should focus on Him, and live properly. We should also meet up with fellow Christians–believers and followers of Christ– so that we can strengthen and encourage one another–and pray for one another!
3. How do I live my life when I’m around unbelievers? Hopefully the same as when I’m around believers. I want to tighten up aspects of my life so that I can say with a clean consience that what I do in the back is the same as I do in the front. I desire to live a life of integrity and I pray that God mold me to do so so I can bring glory to His name. I think for the most part I use my freedom not as an excuse to do evil. I praise God for this. I want to make a new commitment to sustain Christ’s identity in my life.

Stronger in Christ

Colossians 2:6-8, 2 Peter 3:15-18, 1 Corinthians 15:58

Freedom From Human Regulations Through Life With Christ
6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

2 Peter 3:15-18

15Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

17Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

1 Corinthians 15:58

58Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

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1. In order to be rooted in Christ, I need to beware of comments and teachings from unstable and ignorant people who twist God’s words to become deceptive words that are not true. Instead, we need to know God’s Word personally for ourselves. We should study it and be intimate withthe Lord. We must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lod and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:17-18)
2. To be aware and on guard so that I won’t be misled and deceived, I need to continue to follow Him despite others choosing not to. I need to let my roots grow down into Him and have my ife be establishd and built on Him. This is how my faith will grow “in the truth (I) was taught, and I will overflow with thankfulness.” I also will be able to discern what are “empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense,” and really, I need to recognize that it is nonsense and have the sense to stand firm on what is true. I should also work so others don’t fall for that nonsense. (Colossians 2:8)

Memory verse: “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless (1 Corinthians 15:58).”

Living for Christ (3)

1 Cor 9:19-27

1. The condition of my heart when facing peole around who don’t follow Christ wholeheartedly, is to be honest, sometimes I care and sometimes I don’t care as much. I would however, like to love them more and focus less on myself and more on God’s will for my life and for people who He loves. The above verses changed my heart though, because it makes me know that I need to put effort into not being selfish all the time and having God’s love in me and so that it becomes apparent in my life always.

2. To live my life with the purpose that God has determined and obtain victory, I need to “beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize (v.27).” I need to have self discipline and self control and focus.

Living for Christ (2)

Matthew 5:27-28
27″You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’[a] 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 18:7-9
7″Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! 8If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

1 Corinthians 10:23-24, 31-33
The Believer’s Freedom
23″Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive. 24Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

1. I try not to do anything that causes other people to fall, but I remember when I was small I used to curse a lot and my three year old little brother picked up on it (along with my anger tantrums I think X___X). That’s when I decided to stop, and praise the Lord by God’s grace I did, and my anger has ceased tremendously, lol.
2. To select the desires in me, and in selecting how I choose to behave so that I don’t become a “stumbling stone” for others is just to be conscious of their needs and in everything I do, seek to glorify the Lord. Do everything out of love to God and love to others and I think that will help steer my rudder to take a wise course (what a funny analogy).

a few more notes from the lesson…
Freedom is not an opportunity to sin, rebel and act carelessly. In fact, freedom is to having the liberty to perform righteousness. “Freedom is an opportunity to perform righteousness!”-Author

The Meaning of Following Christ – 2

Luke 18:18-30

The Rich Ruler
18A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

19″Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’[a]“

21″All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

22When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

23When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 24Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

26Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”

27Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

28Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”

29″I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”

1. Money, selfishness, distrust in the Lord and unwillingness to leave behind the current riches can prevent people from living earnestly for Christ. That’s also the reason why it can be difficult for a wealthy man to enter into the kingdom of God.
2. Some things that perhaps I need to work on to to be able to live a life that is more fully for the Lord are perhaps unwillingness to put more effort into being more disciplined and diligent. But I want to learn and be disciplined and diligent and better with people. I want to strive towards self-improvement so that Christ can more fully work in me.
3. If I am willing to give up all I have and all I am to follow Christ then I will be repaid many times over in this life and have eternal life in the world to come. Sweet . But we have to be patient and be able to endure. We are not doing this for the prize; however, if we seek out God’s will, then without us even really seeking out after it, we’ll be blessed abundantly.

The Meaning of Following Christ

Luke 9:57-62
The Cost of Following Jesus
57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

59He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

60Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.”

62Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Mark 8:34-38
34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

1. My understanding about following Christ was based on
2. Jesus asked those who chose to follow Him to take up their cross and turn from their selfish ways. He asked them to not be ashamed or to delay but to go and preach the Gospel now.
3. “Anyone who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” I think I am ready to follow Christ, because other ways of living seem so futile and meaningless. What oftentimes hinders me from becoming Christ’s follower is distractions and lack of vision and perseverance I think. I need to focus and trust in Him.