True Belonging: The Essence of Christian Identity

"Therefore it's essential that we should make absolutely plain and clear to ourselves and to one another that all this rarely does apply to us before I begin to look at my citizenship or my membership of that family or myself as a stone in that building that Temple well am I there is is this all applicable to me well now I feel that in the negative the Apostle is Raising that whole question now he puts it like this in the case of these Ephesians there was no doubt at all there was no question whatsoever the Apostle says now therefore you are no more that but you are this it was clear it was obvious patent to everybody because these people having been pagans had lived a certain type of Life." [00:08:52]

"Now the two words that are used by the Apostle will help us to face this all important subject the first word he uses you notice is the word stranger now therefore ye Are No More Strangers what's a stranger well strangers are those who find themselves among a people not their own when you're a stranger you're amongst people who are not your own people they all belong to one another but you are a stranger you don't belong to them they're not your people stranger then the second word is the word translated here in this authorized version foreigners sometimes you will find it translated sers and the two terms are very good." [00:13:06]

"Now these are the two words that the Apostle uses strangers and foreigners serers people living there for a while it may be a long time but still they are always serers they're still foreigners the other plac is their home they're living here on the passport and they have to renew it and so on now that's the picture that the Apostle puts to our minds and you notice that when when he comes to his positive he just reverses these he starts with the citizenship and then goes on to the family relationship but we are still concerned this morning primarily with the negative and you notice what a subtle matter this is." [00:15:36]

"The difference between the Christian and the non-Christian is clear and definite in spite of all I've been saying the principle remains that there is a clear distinction between a Christian and a non-Christian Paul puts it like this you are no more there's a change change over obvious there I say externally but he isn't concerned about the external he's concerned about the internal and therefore there is no hesitation at all in asserting this morning that every one of us in this building at this moment is either a Christian or else not a Christian we are either in Christ or else we are outside Christ." [00:20:01]

"Now obviously if we're not agreed about that there's no point in proceeding the Christian position is not a vague one it's not indefinite it's not uncertain of course if you think of it ter mainly in terms of superficial conduct and behavior well then you it may very well be vague because I can easily draw a picture for you and show you two men there is a man who's highly moral never does anybody any home at all his word is his bond he is honest and just and upright a thoroughly good men in every sense of the word there's another men you can't say looking at them generally that this second man is as good as the first man he does things that he shouldn't do at times he's not such a lovable character perhaps and yet it may well be the case that the second man is a Christian and the first men not." [00:23:00]

"To be on the doorstep isn't being inside and it doesn't help you to be on the doorstep when the vital question is are you inside or not oh how often is this depicted in the scriptures our Lord draws his picture of people coming hammering at the door and saying open unto us but the reply comes from the inside no you're outside you don't belong we are either Christian or we are not Christian so the second point I would make my second principle would be this to stress the vital importance of knowing which we are now here again I say Paul's illustration helps us once more how does it become clear and obvious whether we are strangers and pilgrims or strangers and foreigners or serers or whether we rarely belong." [00:25:00]

"Why is it important I say to know whether you're a Christian or not oh well I'll tell you it's at the time of testing this thing Becomes of vital importance and of value to you and it is in the tests and the trials of life that this thing comes out you can go on for years while you're well and hail and Hearty you're in the church you seem to be of the church there's your interest and so on you're with the company suddenly you take kn and you find yourself for months on a sick bed you won't be long before you know whether you're a Christian or not it makes a vital difference then or when there's an illness in a member of the family when there's a bement or a death some terrible heart rening sorrow Oh it's then it becomes all important if you're simply living on the passport it doesn't seem to help you but if you really belong it makes all the difference in the world." [00:29:06]

"Are you a stranger and a foreigner or are you not well answer this question do you feel really at ease in the church you quite at ease in the amongst Christian people do you feel quite at ter or have you got an uncomfortable feeling that you're someh an outsider that's what happens when you go and stay with a family isn't it well they're very nice and so on but you you just feel that you don't belong you're not quite at ease have to watch yourself and your behavior and so on you can't relax you're a stranger after all though it's all very kind and affable and friendly are you at home are you at home in God's house are you at home amongst God's people are you at ease or do you feel in spite of everything that you're just a bit of a an odd man out and a bit of an outsider that you don't rarely fit in." [00:31:53]

"Do you uh understand the language the family has its own language people say I can't stand this talk about justification sanctifica all these terms do you feel like that God forbid that you should they're precious terms to the children of God they are not impatient with them it's like a little child listening to grown-ups it's it brings out a big word it doesn't understand it well what's the child doing well it's trying to prove it's a member of the family it's using a word that the father used and the children of God are like that they may not know what justification and sanctification mean but because they're children they want to and they begin to read and study and they ask questions but if you're impatient with it all you're just proclaiming you're an outsider you don't understand the language is the language of Zion sweet to you." [00:35:13]

"Are the questions and the subjects and the problems of the Christian Life known to you are you interested them or when you sit and listen to people talking to them do you be or perhaps as you listen to to a man like myself trying to preach you say to yourself well what is all this about I I don't understand it now if he were talking to me about the visit of the Russian leaders are talking to me about this new measure introduced by the chancellor well then of course I'd understand gambling ah well now this is my theme I'll have a discussion with you about gambling but these other things what's it all about what is it it's so boring that's the s not a way in which you discover whether you're of the family or not." [00:38:48]

"Are you in on the secrets there are family secrets there are National secrets are you in on the secrets what I mean is this you see it is possible for a man to be interested in religion it's possible for a man to be interested in theology it's possible for a man to be interested in philosophy and as long as we're dealing with abstract theoretical questions he's all in and he appears to be one of the family but suddenly you begin to talk spiritually I mean by that you begin to talk experimentally you begin to talk about your own soul and your own experience and suddenly the man who's been so interested theoretically feels he outside do you know anything about that." [00:39:08]

"What's the Christian's birth certificate you say I'll tell you it's over and above everything I've been saying the spirit himself beareth witness with my spirit that I am a child of God it's the sealing of the spirit it's the assurance that can only be given by the Holy Spirit himself who ha sealed us and who is the earnest of our inheritance until the Redemption of the purchased possession don't misunderstand me you may be a Christian though you do not know the sealing of the spirit definitely if you've passed my other tests I would assure you that you're a Christian but I do exalt you and urge you don't be content with that insist upon having your certificate go to suet house until you find it let nothing stop you seek it of the Lord apply to him I use Thomas Goodwin St again sue him for it until you've got it and then you'll know and you'll be able to say I am no more a stranger or a foreigner I am a fellow citizen with the Saints I am of the household of God I am a stone in the temple which God himself inhabits." [00:43:23]