Understanding True Belief and Identity in Christ

"Now, as we did look at that last week, we have some things in common when we say, I'm a Christian. Now, also, with that, to say I'm a Christian means more than you simply attend church. It means more than you read your Bible. It means more than simply I prayed a prayer. I have met too many people who could pray a prayer because someone said, repeat after me, and they did it, but they had no clue what they're doing." [00:15:49]

"Well, here the Bible says in verse 15, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. That means there's another word we use for I'm a Christian. We say, I am a believer. Right? I am a believer. So this morning, we're going to look at what does it mean when we say, I am a believer." [00:19:44]

"If I'm a believer, there's something that I accept and believe. I accept that the Bible is the Word of God. This book that you, if you hold in your hands, whether it's printed and bound or whether it's electronic on a device, it is the Word of God. I must accept and believe that the Bible is the Word of God. God has revealed Himself to me through the Word of God. Well, how do I know who God is? Well, when did God start? In the beginning, God. Right?" [00:21:47]

"How do I know I'm a sinner? Well, the Bible tells me so. How do I know how to be saved? The Bible tells me. How do I know who Jesus is? Guess what tells me? The Bible. Well, where did we come from? Again, Genesis 1 -1. The Bible. How did we get to where we are? The Bible. If I don't believe this book, nothing else I say I believe matters. If I say, well, you know, this book contains the Word of God." [00:22:52]

"Because how do you know the part you're picking to be a Christian is actually true if you don't believe the whole thing. You say, but there's some weird stuff in there. I know. Have you read the book of Jonah? Have you ever known someone who gets swallowed alive by a fish and be spewed out three days later and come out preaching? Looking like a mess? But it's there. Oh, by the way, they've actually found people who have been actually swallowed by a whale who actually then got spit out and lived to tell the story." [00:23:54]

"This is the basis of everything. Without this, we don't know who God is. God revealed his message. Guess where? Through the word of God. How do I know that I'm a sinner? How do I know that God loves me? How do I know that sin has a penalty and a price? Death, separation from God forever. How do I know that even when I was a sinner and I was against God that God loved me so much, he sent his son and proved his love when he died on the cross?" [00:24:52]

"Hey, when we affirm that all of the Bible is true, we allow God to shape our beliefs. Do you understand your beliefs, you don't believe something and try to prove it from the word of God. We should get what we believe from the word of God. The word of God should shape our beliefs, change our beliefs. I've heard some weird things taught. I've had weird things taught to me. And I asked, my pastor always, when someone would teach you something or say something that you thought was weird, here's what he always told me to ask." [00:26:30]

"Second thing is, if it's a believer, then I accept and believe. I accept there is one God in three persons. I accept it. There is only one God who does. does not change. You say, how do I know that it doesn't change? Good. I'll give you. Book, chapter, verse, Malachi 3, verse 6. Let's go. Ready? Have your Bibles ready. Malachi is in the Old Testament. It's towards the back of your Bible. It's in that section that people usually skip over called the minor prophets, right?" [00:29:26]

"Do you get the idea that the psalmist believed that wherever he went, guess who was already there? God. Why? Because God is omnipresent. He is all places at all time. You say, how does he do that? I don't know, but I have book, chapter, verse I can give you on why God is there everywhere we go. And that one God reveals himself to us in three persons. God the Father. He reigns supreme over the universe." [00:33:40]

"God the Father is all -loving, all -wise, and completely just. He adopts all those who by faith accept his Son. We are all the children of God. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we become the children of God. All. Not just few. Anyone. He reveals himself not as God the Father. He reveals himself as God the Son. The Son is eternal. He is the eternal Son of God. He is conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary." [00:34:11]

"Hey, then there's some things that we need to believe about humanity and the fall and being restored. Hey, men and women are created, you're created originally in the image of God. That's what Genesis 1 tells us. In the image of God created he them. That's what it says. We're created in the image of God. Adam and Eve's sin marred that image, creating an eternal separation between God and mankind. There's nothing we, it's just, it is that way." [00:39:05]

"For by the grace, for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves is the gift of God, not of, lest any man should, boast. For we are his workmanship, creating Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has performed and ordained that we should walk in them. Hey, it sounds to me like God says when you're a believer, there are some things that God has ordained for you to do. Right? We'll get there." [00:40:07]

"He's alive jesus christ left by the way those three words are a powerful powerful affirmation of the foundation of our beliefs that christ is alive you say why because if he's not alive everything we believe is in vain you say that's a big statement to make well guess what i didn't make it let me give you book chapter verse on it take your bible turn to first corinthians chapter 15 first corinthians chapter 15 look at me verses 16 and 17" [00:41:43]

"for if the dead rise not then is not christ raised and if christ be not raised your faith is in vain ye are yet in your sins hey is it important that he is alive yes because if he is not risen anything you believe is pointless it's empty it's worthless and we're still sinners and we're still the enemies of god and we still have no hope but if he's risen that changes everything you see it's important the resurrection assures us that christ is alive and that we who are christians will live forever with him in eternity" [00:42:54]

"declare I'm a believer, you are certainly informing the truth that we've covered. To be a believer, you've got to believe these things. There is no getting around it. Without the word of God, none of the other things we talked about is even possible. But you're not merely believing in something, you're believing in someone. You have confessed and you've repented of your sinfulness, you've accepted the reality that God took your punishment on the cross, and by faith you've received his free gift of salvation." [00:45:01]

"The behavior changes not to earn or keep the salvation, the behavior changes because you are saved. Do you understand the difference? You don't change the behavior to keep your salvation, but if you're saved, it will change how you behave. Now, let me be honest, we're all human, we're all sinful, we still have a sinful nature. Does that mean, just because it changes our behavior, does that mean we'll never have a mistake and we'll never sin again? Wouldn't that be nice?" [00:45:40]

"wrong or not but as you see the day of christ approaching as you see christ's return approaching should we be going to assembling ourselves together less and less or more and more so why are we doing the opposite why do we attend church less and less why do we gather with believers less and less why do we cancel services and and do all these types of things hey no we should assemble more and more why because as a believer one of the things i should want to do i should do as a result of that is i should connect with others" [00:50:22]

"ever had a brother or sister in christ call you on something not fun is it but being a community brings accountability hey if you say i am a part of we'll talk about this more another time but if you say i'm a part of new beginnings back to church there are some things as as a church and our church constitution we believe this we do this we we handle it this way we we do things a certain way and there's some accountability in that i remember when i um when i when my home church they ordained me" [00:54:56]

"of God. And if you're not going to follow that body of doctrine, you're not going to be associated with us, is basically what they said. Rightly so. By the way, if I ever ordain someone, guess what the last question I'm going to ask them is? Same thing. It's okay. It's accountable. Community brings strength. Community brings hope. If we want to stand firm in the faith, if we want to grow in the faith, we must do it in the context with other believers in a local church." [00:59:44]

"Maybe you've seen the cartoon, and the first panel, a man is pleading with God to speak to him. And the next drawing shows an arm with a hand reached out from heaven to give the man a Bible. God's spoken to us. It's called the Word of God. But here's the problem. It's hard to hear God speak when you've already determined what you want to do. It really is. Hey, when you've already determined what you want Him to say, it's really hard to hear Him speak." [01:05:01]