Embracing Our Identity as Children of God

Devotional

Day 1: The Power of Community Blessings

Description: The blessing over David Eliana symbolizes the church's role in nurturing and speaking life into each member. It reminds us that we are a community bound by God's grace and called to support one another in our spiritual journeys. This act of blessing is not just a ritual but a profound declaration of God's peace and grace over an individual's life. It sets a precedent for how we, as a community, should continually uplift and encourage one another.

In a world where individualism often takes precedence, the church stands as a beacon of collective support and love. By blessing David, the congregation acknowledges its responsibility to nurture and guide him in his spiritual journey. This act serves as a reminder that each member of the community is valuable and deserving of God's blessings. [25:56]

Numbers 6:24-26 (ESV): "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace."

Reflection: Think of someone in your church community who might need encouragement or support. How can you speak life and blessings into their situation today?

Day 2: The Miraculous Power of Testimony and Prayer

Description: Testimonies like Petra's healing highlight the ongoing miracles in our midst. They serve as a reminder that God is active and responsive to our prayers, encouraging us to seek His intervention in all areas of our lives. When we share our testimonies, we not only glorify God but also strengthen the faith of others, reminding them of His power and love.

Prayer is a powerful tool that connects us directly to God. When we pray, we invite His presence and power into our lives and the lives of others. Testimonies of answered prayers, like Petra's healing, serve as tangible evidence of God's miraculous works. They inspire us to pray with greater faith and expectation, knowing that God hears and responds to our prayers. [32:07]

James 5:16 (ESV): "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

Reflection: Reflect on a recent prayer request you have made. How can you share any answered prayers or ongoing needs with your community to encourage and uplift them?

Day 3: Understanding Our Identity in Christ

Description: Knowing who we are in Christ is foundational to our spiritual growth. Our identity as God's children gives us confidence and authority, shaping how we live and interact with the world. This truth transforms our self-perception and empowers us to live boldly. Understanding that we are spirit, soul, and body helps us to see ourselves as God sees us—eternal beings made in His image.

Our identity in Christ is not based on our achievements or failures but on the unchanging truth of who God says we are. This understanding liberates us from the pressures of the world and allows us to live with confidence and purpose. When we fully embrace our identity as children of God, we can approach life with a sense of security and boldness, knowing that we are loved and accepted by our Creator. [37:16]

1 John 3:1 (ESV): "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him."

Reflection: How does knowing that you are a child of God change the way you view yourself and your daily interactions? What steps can you take to remind yourself of this truth daily?

Day 4: Transformation Through Christ's Sacrifice

Description: Jesus' sacrifice does more than cover our sins; it removes them entirely, making us righteous and holy. This transformation is not just positional but actual, changing our very nature and enabling us to live in true freedom and innocence. We are no longer defined by our past sins or failures but by the new life we have in Christ.

The transformative power of Jesus' sacrifice is a central tenet of our faith. It assures us that we are not merely forgiven but completely renewed. This profound change in our nature allows us to live in the freedom and righteousness that Christ has secured for us. Embracing this truth empowers us to break free from the chains of our past and walk confidently in the newness of life that Jesus offers. [45:18]

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV): "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

Reflection: Reflect on an area of your life where you still feel defined by past mistakes. How can you embrace the truth of your new identity in Christ and live in the freedom He has given you?

Day 5: Living from Innocence and Righteousness

Description: Embracing our identity in Christ means living from a place of innocence and righteousness. This understanding helps us to align our thoughts and actions with God's truth, leading to a life of joy, peace, and purpose. When we see ourselves as God sees us—innocent and righteous—we can live with a sense of freedom and confidence that transforms our daily lives.

Living from a place of innocence and righteousness is not about ignoring our past but about fully accepting the transformative work of Christ in our lives. It means renewing our minds and aligning our thoughts with God's truth. This shift in perspective allows us to live with a sense of purpose and joy, knowing that we are fully accepted and loved by God. [56:56]

Colossians 1:22 (ESV): "He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him."

Reflection: What thoughts or beliefs do you need to renew in order to live from a place of innocence and righteousness? How can you practically align your daily actions with this truth?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Today, we gathered to celebrate the blessing of a newborn named David Eliana, and to reflect on the profound truths of our identity in Christ. We began by speaking blessings over David, invoking God's eternal peace and grace upon him. This moment of blessing set the tone for a deeper exploration of who we are in Christ.

We shared testimonies of healing within our community, emphasizing the power of prayer and the miraculous works God continues to perform among us. We also introduced practical initiatives like prayer and testimony cards, and an upcoming financial course to help manage personal finances, underscoring the church's commitment to holistic well-being.

The core of today's message revolved around our new series, "Who Do You Think You Are?" We delved into the importance of understanding our identity as children of God. Our identity shapes our confidence, our actions, and our relationship with God. We are reminded that we are spirit, soul, and body, and that our true self is our spirit, which is eternal and made in the image of God.

We explored the transformative power of Jesus' sacrifice, which not only covers our sins but removes them entirely, making us righteous and holy. This is not just a positional truth but an actual transformation of our nature. We are no longer defined by our past sins or failures but by the new life we have in Christ. This truth empowers us to live boldly and confidently, knowing that we are loved, accepted, and made perfect in Him.

We concluded with a call to embrace this identity fully, to renew our minds, and to live from the place of innocence and righteousness that Jesus has secured for us. This understanding is crucial for living a life that glorifies God and fulfills His purposes for us.

###

Key Takeaways

1. perception and empowers us to live boldly. [37:16]
4. Transformation Through Christ: Jesus' sacrifice does more than cover our sins; it removes them entirely, making us righteous and holy. This transformation is not just positional but actual, changing our very nature and enabling us to live in true freedom and innocence.

5. Living from Innocence: Embracing our identity in Christ means living from a place of innocence and righteousness. This understanding helps us to align our thoughts and actions with God's truth, leading to a life of joy, peace, and purpose.

### [37:16]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[25:56] - Blessing Over David Eliana
[32:07] - Testimony of Healing
[34:51] - Introduction of Prayer and Testimony Cards
[36:02] - Upcoming Financial Course
[37:16] - New Series: Who Do You Think You Are?
[38:52] - The Importance of Identity
[40:29] - Spirit, Soul, and Body
[42:45] - Renewing the Mind
[45:18] - Our True Self: Spirit
[46:40] - Ephesians 1: Our Identity in Christ
[48:02] - The Jesus Glasses Syndrome
[50:51] - The Fall and Loss of Innocence
[54:12] - Jesus' Innocence and Sacrifice
[56:56] - The Great Exchange: Our Righteousness in Christ
[61:20] - Spiritual Circumcision: Cutting Away Sinful Nature
[64:16] - Living from Innocence and Righteousness
[67:36] - Reigning in Life Through Christ
[68:17] - Colossians: Restored to Innocence
[73:20] - Call to Salvation
[76:07] - Worship and Celebration

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Ephesians 1:3-10 (NIV)

> "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ."

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NIV)

> "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)

> "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Observation Questions

According to Ephesians 1:3-10, what are some of the spiritual blessings we receive in Christ?
In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, what three parts of our being does Paul pray to be kept blameless?
How does 2 Corinthians 5:21 describe the exchange that takes place through Jesus' sacrifice?
What was the significance of the blessing spoken over David Eliana during the sermon? [25:56]

Interpretation Questions

How does understanding our identity in Christ, as described in Ephesians 1:3-10, impact our daily lives and decisions? [37:16]
What does it mean for our spirit, soul, and body to be sanctified and kept blameless, as mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:23? How does this process look in practical terms? [40:29]
Reflect on the statement from 2 Corinthians 5:21. How does the concept of Jesus becoming sin for us change our perception of righteousness and holiness? [56:56]
The sermon emphasized the importance of living from a place of innocence and righteousness. How can this understanding transform our approach to challenges and temptations? [45:18]

Application Questions

The blessing over David Eliana was a powerful reminder of the church's role in nurturing and supporting each member. How can you actively speak life and blessings into the lives of those around you? [25:56]
Testimonies of healing, like Petra's, highlight the power of prayer. Can you share a time when you experienced or witnessed a miraculous answer to prayer? How did it impact your faith? [32:07]
Understanding our identity in Christ is foundational. What steps can you take this week to deepen your understanding of who you are in Christ? [37:16]
Jesus' sacrifice removes our sins entirely, making us righteous and holy. How can you remind yourself daily of this truth, especially when you feel unworthy or condemned? [45:18]
The sermon called us to renew our minds and live from a place of innocence and righteousness. What practical steps can you take to align your thoughts and actions with God's truth? [56:56]
Reflect on the concept of living from innocence. Is there an area in your life where you struggle to feel innocent or righteous? How can you seek God's truth and healing in that area? [48:02]
The church introduced practical initiatives like prayer and testimony cards and a financial course. How can you participate in or support these initiatives to enhance your holistic well-being and that of the community? [34:51]

Sermon Clips

1. "Our identity is so incredibly important, knowing who you are and more importantly, whose you are. And this will determine the quality, but also the effectiveness of your life. It will decide how you feel about yourself. It will decide how you think about yourself, but it will also determine what you will do. The confidence you have, the boldness to have as a son or daughter of God, the authority you have in Christ, how you will live your life in this way." [37:16] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "The Holy Spirit always brings truth into our lives. The character of God, the nature of God into our lives. Now we are part of a kingdom of truth. Amen? And we have a Holy Spirit who guides us. He is the spirit of truth. He guides us into all truth. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. So Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit, want to tell you, I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the way, the life. I bring truth into our lives." [38:52] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "We are a tri-part being, right? We are spirit, soul, and body. We have a spirit. It's actually our being. We are a spirit. We have a body, and we have a psyche. We have a mind, a will, and emotions. That's our psyche in this way. 1 Thessalonians 3. Verse 523 says here in the Bible, Do you see the last line? God is faithful. He will do it. He will help you into truth. Amen?" [40:29] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "You cannot really know the truth without renewing your mind. You've got to start thinking right. You've got to start thinking the truth. The truth will set you free and will help you. And so God is allowing us, and hopefully we're allowing God, He is helping us to renew our mind, to align our mind to what He says, to align our minds with the truth, reshaping our thought patterns, getting rid of lies and those kind of things." [42:45] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "We need to know the identity of God in our lives. Amen. So God is working this in our lives. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to be strong. He wants us to be sharp. He wants us to be confident. He wants us to be determined and powerful people, sons and daughters of God who know who they are and they live a life to the glory of God. Amen." [44:01] (20 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6. "He chose us to be his very own, joining us to himself even before he laid the foundation of the universe. Because of his great love, everybody say great love. Because of his great love, he ordained us so that we would be seen as holy in his eyes with an unstained innocence. One of the most beautiful lines in the Bible in my view. Today I want to talk about you are innocent. You are innocent." [46:40] (22 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7. "Jesus becomes me so I can become him. Jesus becomes sin so I can become sinless. He lays down his divine nature that I can pick up his divine nature. It's unbelievable. Amen. One person's happy. Yeah, is the gospel. It is who you are and what we lost in Genesis 2 we were made again through Jesus Christ innocent, blameless, perfect forever in your spirit." [58:27] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8. "You are a supernatural being. You are a God being. You are supernaturally charged. And God has made you holy and righteous, perfect forever. I want to go with this last term because it's really who you are. I want to finish with this one verse in, a few verses in Colossians, which talks about what Jesus has done for us in another book. So Colossians is a different book in the Bible. And it says who we are." [01:08:17] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9. "Even if you've heard this like four times. Even if you've heard this like 40 years ago. Or even if for the first time today, it is good news what God has done. This is our identity. Who do you think you are? Well, this morning you've heard who you are. And we're going to celebrate this because you wouldn't be this without Jesus. He is worthy of our praise, worthy of our worship. We passionately love Him. We passionately give our lives to Him. Amen?" [01:16:07] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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