Embracing Our Identity as God's Masterpiece

But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you wholly in his sight without blemish and free from accusations. If you continue in your faith established and firm and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel, this is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven of which I, Paul, have become a servant. [00:05:26]

So just that one scripture right there says we're reconciled, that we're wholly in his sight, that we were without blemish, that we are without blemish. If you go by your feelings, this can't be true, can it? So we have to live by the gospel. Lay those feelings aside and go with what God's word says. [00:05:57]

He says so many great things about us that are counter to what we tell ourselves about just no good, sin too much. How could God use someone like me? I've had all those questions myself. I've asked myself that and whether it's the enemy or me accusing me, he said he's an accuser of the brethren. [00:06:18]

In Christ, all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form. And in Christ, you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him, you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self, ruled by flesh, was put off when you were circumcised by Christ. [00:07:13]

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all. All our sins. Forgave us all our sins. Did you hear that? Forgave us all our sins. Having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness. Another word for that is reconciled. He reconciled us. Canceled the debt. He canceled our sin debt. [00:07:59]

He made a public spectacle of overcoming our sins of reconciling us think about that for a minute he's like I did it I'm doing it he made a public spectacle out of it that's how much it means to him wow, wow, wow it's pretty amazing, huh? again, if you go with your feelings does it feel like Jesus made a public spectacle of delivering you from your sin? [00:08:55]

You are a chosen people a royal priesthood a holy nation God's special possession that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light it's a great place to reiterate don't go to church go with your feelings go with the word of God go with what he says but you are a chosen people a royal priesthood a holy nation God's special possession that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness. [00:09:22]

Some of the coping skills that we've developed our entire lifetime are tough to let go of because those are the things that we've developed to help us get through trying times, difficult situations. For some, it's alcohol. For others, it's denial. I mean, there's a lot lot of things that we turn to to try to find peace or comfort aren't there when we need to turn to the one that calls us chosen people royal priesthood holy nation god's special possession. [00:11:06]

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air. The spirit who's now at work. And those who are disobedient. Boy, you sure see it around the world, can't you? Those that are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts like the rest. We were by nature deserving of wrath. [00:12:59]

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy. Made us alive with Christ. Even when we were dead in transgressions, it is by grace you have been saved. And God. us up with christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in christ jesus in order that in the coming age he might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to us in christ jesus. [00:13:44]

For as by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not from yourselves it's a gift of god not by works so that no one can boast for we are god's handiwork created in christ jesus to do good works which god prepared in advance for us to do the new living translation verse 10 says this 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 again he has a purpose he has a purpose for saving us he has a purpose for transforming us it's intentional and sometimes it hurts. [00:14:29]

Have you been talking bad to yourself? Have you been saying you're no good? Have you been saying you're trash or you've messed up too many times? I want to invite you now to take that to the Lord and ask him to change your attitude towards you to his attitude towards you. You're a royal priesthood, a holy nation. We are his special possession. And it's almost hard to fathom, isn't it? We are his special possession. [00:32:24]