The Bible refers to Jesus as the Good Shepherd. There are a number of times that he is compared to a shepherd: A shepherd who cares for his flock: A shepherd who will seek the lost sheep. There are a number of references to this aspect of Jesus’ character. But the one that makes this most clear, I believe, is this reference.
John 10:14
14 “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
As the shepherd we know him. We recognize his leadership in our lives. We know who he is and understand the relationship between us. He is the author and finisher of our faith. But He also knows us. He knows who are His sheep.
John 10:3
3 “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
He knows His own intimately, he calls them by name. The question today is does he know you? Have you become familiar enough to Him for Him to know you and recognize you and call you by name? Today I want to look at three people: Three people whom Jesus calls by name. I want to look at their lives the instance in which he calls their names and I want to try and apply it to our lives.
The First is Mary Magdalene.
John 20:11-18
11 But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.12 And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.13 Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ”18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.
In this scripture we see Mary Magdalene in a moment of panic and confusion. The events of the last few days have taken a toll on her. She saw the Messiah, the pone she considered to be the savior of the world crucified and killed. Then as she arrives at the tomb in which he has been placed she finds the body missing. She finds that he’s not in the place where he has been laid. She is not doubt overcome with frustration and panic.
Have you ever experienced that? Have you ever wondered, “Where’s God? Why is this happening? Why have I been forsaken?” All of her life she’s been taught that God will send a Messiah who will come and destroy the enemies of Israel. Finally, here is a man who has the power of God. She knows that God is with Him because of the things He’s done. She knows He has power because of the powerful deliverance she has received at His hand.
Luke 8:2
2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons,
Yet, he is laid in a tomb, dead, and now even his body has disappeared. Can you imagine the pain and confusion she is suffering at this moment. Then He comes to her and speaks her name and she is instantly, lifted out of that confusion.
I’m sure there were others who understood the prophecies better. There were others who studied doctrine and understood he doctrine better than she did. The Pharisees were so leaned in the law and the doctrines. They knew much more about all that than she did, but…she knew Him. She had a relationship with Jesus. She understood His power to change lives because she knew what He did in hers.
I’m sure that there swill be others who will stand before God who know more about doctrine than you and I. I’m sure that there will be others who are more learned in those things than us. But they will stand before God and here the words “I never knew you,” because they may know doctrine and law but they don’t know Jesus. I don’t claim to be a theologian but I know Christ and I hear His voice and recognize Him when he calls to me.
It is the same with Mary. She knows Jesus intimately…and He knows her. It has never been about what you know. It has always been about whom you know and more importantly who knows you. Can you recognize the voice of jesus in the panic and confusion of life? When Jesus called Mary’s name, she recognized His voice: She knew Him and He knew her.
The Second is Thomas (Who is Sometimes Called Doubting Thomas)
John 20:24-29
24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
After the crucifixion, Thomas had a crisis of faith. Here was the man to whom he had discipled himself: the man who he also thought was the savior of the world: The man he thought was the incarnation of God on earth and he lies dead. So Thomas begins to doubt his own faith.
Can you see that? “I thought He was God. If he was God why couldn’t He save Himself, why did God have to die?” He’s struggling with his faith. It’s like the carpet of all that he believes has been pulled out from under him. He begins to think, “Could I have been wrong? Everything that seemed so right just a few days ago was gone, after the crucifixion, his faith was left in tatters.
When they told him they saw Jesus he couldn’t believe it. He had believed his own eyes. He saw Him hung on the cross. He saw Him look up and say, “it is finished.” He saw him give up his spirit and die. He saw all of those things and seeing, he believed. He told them he wasn’t going to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead unless he saw it with his own eyes. How like us he is.
We want to see something tangible. We want to see something real. We go to Healing Crusades and we see people healed, so we believe that healing is possible…but we don’t always believe it’s possible for us. We ask for deliverance and all the time we think that promise isn’t for us. We doubt, just like Thomas.
I spoke to man once who told me that he believes in deliverance, bur he said, “I don’t think I’m strong enough to be delivered.” You’re not, so it’s a good thing that your deliverance doesn’t depend on you. Put aside your unbelief for a moment and think about this: Jesus rose from the dead, do you think he has the power to deliver you from whatever you’re going through? Can He resurrect you?
We doubt, just like Thomas doubted. Even in his doubt Jesus, called him by name. he spoke into his life, he reached out and said, Touch Me. Feel me I am who I said I was.” In that moment that Jesus allowed Thomas to touch the wounds, He touched Thomas. In that moment Thomas’ faith was healed. “My Lord and my God.”
Jeus said, “Thomas you believe because you have seen. Blessed are those who believe and haven’t seen.” Jesus knew this man. He knew what it would take to for him to believe. He could have said Thomas had missed his hour of visitation, but instead he reached out and reached into his life. Just like he does in when we doubt.
A man came to Jesus with his demon-possessed son. The demon would throw him onto the ground, into the fire, and into the water to try to kill him. This desperate father came to Jesus and asked Him to pray for his child that the demon would be cast out. Look at this exchange between them.
Mark 9:23-24
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
That should be our prayer. “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.” The fact is that we all experience moments of doubt. We believe but sometimes we need help to believe. A Jesus that knows you can help you to believe.
The Third is Peter
John 21:15-17
15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
We all know Peter’s reaction when Jesus was taken to be crucified. He followed at a distance, when someone recognized him he denied he was a follower of Christ. When they asked him a second time he denied it again. When they asked the third time he denied Jesus once more this time with a curse. He refused to allow anyone to call him a disciple of Jesus. He turned his back on Jesus and that moment of denial could have cost him eternity.
He turned his back on Jesus, went into hiding and eventually went back to fishing; his life before he became a disciple. He had abandoned his faith and he stood on the crossroads and Jesus spoke his name, “Simon Peter, do you love me?” In his moment of rejection, in his moment of denial, Jesus reaches into his life and restores him with the words, “Simon Peter, do you love me?”
None of us have experienced a test as powerful as this. None of us has seen the leader of our faith taken and crucified. Yet, some of us have gone through moments of denial: Moments when we have turned our back on his will and gone back to our former occupation, which is sin. We’ve gone back to our old life. We’ve gone back to our fleshly lusts. We turn our back on His will and go back to our own pursuits. In those moments we are denying Him as Lord over our lives: We’re denying his as God. We are lifting up sin and making that lord over our lives.
Yet, in this example we see that even though we have denied Him, he still desires to speak into our lives. He still desires to call us back to Him. “Simon Peter, do you love me?” Even through all that jesus still recognizes him as His own; still calls him by name. “Simon Peter, do you love me.” We sometimes think that when we backslide we can never go back again. We think that we can never be accepted again.
Imagine how peter felt when he heard the rooster crow. When he realized that he had denied the lord whom he had pledged to follow to the death. He must have felt like he’d lost it all. He was depressed; he was beaten down. I believe that’s why he wanted to go fishing - he’d given up. But that was something he did to himself, because Jesus came to him and spoke his name; He called him back. He restored him back to his destiny. He will do that in our lives as well.
What each of these people had in common was a personal history with Jesus Christ. They had spent time with Him. They knew him. They recognized His voice. And he called them by name. This is a part of discipleship; an intimate oneness with him. It’s more than just believing it’s knowing Him.
He knows us and calls us by name: Even when we are in moments of confusion, even in moments of doubt and even in moments of denial. The shepherd’s love is a love that knows us and reaches out to us even through those things.
Showing posts with label Identifying with Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Identifying with Jesus. Show all posts
Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Identifying with Jesus: The Shepherd
I recently read a history book about one of America’s Generals. This man fought in America’s Civil War that resulted in the end of slavery in America. After the Civil War he fought Indians in the United States Cavalry. These are mounted horse soldiers. His career culminated in a battle called the battle of the Little Bighorn, (a river in the northwestern United States.) against an overwhelming army of Sioux Indian Braves. 225 soldiers willing to fight to the death for General George Armstrong Custer followed him into this battle. The Battle is known as Custer’s Last Stand. Why were these men willing to follow Custer into a battle that would result in the death of every single man?
They followed because they identified with the courage and ideals of their leader. They bought into his vision. Many of his men loved him and they dressed like him, they affected his mannerisms. Their identity with him led them to follow him and obey his commands.
Identity is a powerful force. When we identify with the vision of the leader, we’ll follow without reservation. This happens in military organizations all over the world. It happens in Fire Departments, Police Departments, and just about any aspect of life that you can imagine.
It should happen in the church of Jesus Christ, as well. We should buy into His vision and willingly follow our leader and shepherd: Jesus Christ. I want to continue with my series, “Identifying with Christ.” I believe that the keys to life change and deliverance lie in identifying with Jesus.
John 10:14-16
.14 “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.15 “As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.16 “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
Jesus Knows his Followers And We Know Him
Sheep calling contests are common in the Palestine. Several flocks of sheep are placed in an enclosure and mixed together. Then shepherds whistle a distinctive tune; some call or shout in a peculiar manner. Some shepherds use a pipe with a particular pitch. Each shepherd’s signal is understood by his own sheep and they respond immediately. They make their way through the crowded enclosure to where their shepherd is waiting. The shepherd who collects a given number of sheep in the shortest time is the winner.
Why do the sheep respond to their own shepherd’s peculiar signal? They respond because they know and trust their shepherd. They know he brings them to food and water, that he protects them from wolves and lions. He has even rescued from death and injury. So, they recognize his call and respond. This is the way we should be with our shepherd: The one who has rescued us from the danger of sin and saved us from spiritual death. Jesus is our shepherd and as His flock we should know and trust Him.
A good shepherd knows his sheep. He knows which are stubborn and which are compliant. He knows which ones tend to wander. He has to know and understand each one in order to keep them safe and within the fold.
The same is true of Jesus. He knows His followers. He knows what’s going on in our minds and hearts. He understands our attitudes and behavior. He’s a good shepherd; He knows His sheep. The Bible tells us He knows us intimately.
Matthew 10:29-30
29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
God knows how many hairs are on our heads. He knows what makes us tick. He sees what’s in our hearts. Have you ever known someone so well that you could understand how he or she would react to something? You could guess what decision they would make. That comes from knowing someone really well. You understand their personality. You know how they think, how they will feel about something. That is being able to see their heart. You can see the good things in their personality and their character and you see the bad. You see their heart.
The Bible tells us that God looks at men differently than we look at men. God doesn’t look at the outward he sees the character of the man. We make judgments about people by what they look like don’t we? That girl is beautiful and has a nice smile; she must be a nice person. That guy’s big and good-looking; he’s probably a good leader.
That’s how we think, but it isn’t how God thinks. He knows us well. He sees our hearts. The amazing thing is that even though He sees what’s deep inside. He sees the things that we even try to hide from ourselves and He still cares for us. He cares enough that He gave His life for us. That’s the ay a shepherd acts, he gives his life for his sheep.
John 10:11-13
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.12 “But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.13 “The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
This scripture tells us something about Jesus’ character. He’s like a shepherd that gives his life for his sheep. It speaks of His faithfulness. He faces danger and death for His sheep. This is what Christ has done for us. He has given his life. It wasn’t taken from Him…He gave it.
It’s interesting to watch shepherds as they work in the Israel. We don’t really see shepherds much in Taiwan. But in Israel the shepherds lead the sheep, they walk before them in front of them and the sheep follow them. They crowd around the shepherd and stay close.
We should be like those sheep wanting to be closer, not following because we have to, but because we wnant to be near Him. That’s why the sheep press in on the shepherd like that…they want the comfort that comes from being near him. They don’t just go to the shepherd when there’s trouble. They go to him and follow him all the time.
But people are different, aren’t they? Most of us only come to Jesus when there’s trouble in our lives. When things are going well we don’t see the need. Have you noticed that? When things are going well in people’s lives, they become hit and miss about church attendance. When we have the things we need or want, we give those things precedence over the one who provides them for us. I can’t begin to tell you how many women I have known that prayed for a husband then as soon as they found a boyfriend they gave up all their ministry and disappeared from church. When we get what we want, suddenly we’re not crowding around the shepherd anymore. Things are safe, there’s no apparent danger.
The shepherd understands the needs of the sheep. He provides for those needs. He leads them to food and water. He protects them from danger. He looks out for their well-being. Someone who understands your strengths and weaknesses is in a better position to meet your needs and to protect you…from yourself. In order for jesus to be qualified to be the shepherd He must understand us; and he does.
Hebrews 4:13-15
13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
No creature is naked to Him. He sees all of us. He sees beyond the image we project to the world. He knows our hearts and He can sympathize. That word sympathize means He can enter into the feelings of another. In other words He knows what it’s like to be us. There’s compassion in that. He wants to see our needs met.
In Matthew Chapter 8, a leper comes to Jesus and he says, “If you will, I can be cleansed.” In the New King James Version, Jesus replies. “I will…be cleansed.” But look at his response to that statement as it is presented in the Weust Expanded New Testament. (A type of Amplified version of the Bible.) “I desire it from all of my heart.” That’s how Jesus feels about meeting our needs. He desires it from all of His heart. He knows and understands our needs and desires to see them fulfilled.
We Follow Willingly
The sheep in our illustration follow the shepherd closely. They gather around him. They walk close to him. They respond to his voice. That’s a picture of how it should be for us to follow Jesus. The problem is that we miss this idea. We think we can be independent of the shepherd and still see him meet our needs. There are few of us who give ourselves completely into the care of the shepherd. I know two women that are about the same age, both unmarried.
One of them is looking for a husband. She’s desperate. She sees herself getting older and there’s no man in the near future for her. But that’s what she prays for. God bring me a man. She had been saved about 8 years and there weren’t any men for her yet. So she became angry with God and left the church.
The other woman has told me she’s waiting for God. She gets lonely sometimes but she isn’t desperate for a husband. She says she’ll get married when God brings a man for her and says, “This is Him.” Her whole philosophy is to wait for God and God’s guidance.
The second one is the one who has given herself completely into Jesus’ care. She follows closely by the shepherd, listening for His voice, looking to see where He will guide her. And do you know what? Time after time I have seen God move in her life, meeting her needs. That’s how a shepherd works in the lives of his sheep. But do you know what the key is? It’s the surrender of her own will to follow the will of the shepherd.
Look at your own relationship with Christ. Are you pressing in to be close to Him? Or are you lingering out on the fringes? Are you looking for the shepherd to guide you, or are you making your own decisions? Are you surrendering your own will to follow the will of the shepherd?
Surrender is the key to many of the locked doors in your life. It’s the key to real change in your life. It’s the key to deliverance. It’s the key to God’s provision. Without willingly surrendering yourself into his care those doors will remain closed.
I want you to think about that statement for a moment. When you turn your will over to His will and you begin to follow closely. You will see that His ways are not like our ways. As you endeavor to live His way and to think like He would think, His thoughts will become your thoughts and you will act accordingly.
Now what does that mean? You will find yourself looking at the world, not from your carnal, selfish way of thinking, but from His way of thinking. You will then respond with actions based on His way of thinking. Christians often talk about being “Born Again” but being born again comes from taking different actions than you took in your old way of thinking.
This is where deliverance springs from, you’re dependent on Jesus for direction and protection. Too many times we turn to sin for comfort. We mistake lust for the love that we’re searching for. We mistake the feeling of drugs and alcohol for the joy and happiness that we’re seeking. By following Jesus for direction and protection we can experience real love and know true joy and happiness.
If we follow Christ He will bring us to places of provision. That’s what a shepherd does. He provides food and water for the sheep. He is the provider. If we follow Jesus He will see that our needs are met. The sheep that follow the shepherd have surrendered their lives to the shepherd. We also need to surrender to our shepherd and follow willingly, wherever he leads us.
What does it mean to Follow Him
John 10:3-5
3 “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.4 “And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.5 “Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
The sheep in this scripture are listening for the voice of the shepherd. They listen for that one voice. They don’t answer to just any call. They listen and respond only to His call.
There are so many people who go to this church and that church. They go looking around, shopping around for a church that will satisfy their needs. They aren’t listening for the call of the shepherd in the place where they are, they’re answering every call. This is a dangerous behavior. There is no surrender there. It’s still a carnal, selfish way of thinking. “I’ll find out what’s the best thing going!”
John Chapter 6 tells of a story of people that are not surrendered. They’re still looking to have their own needs met. They’re looking for Jesus to be they want Him to be, instead of surrendering their lives and following Him.
Jesus has just fed 5,000 men and their families on a young boy’s lunch. The people begin to follow Him because of that miracle. They are looking to keep their bellies full. They’re looking to have carnal needs met. But Jesus begins to tell them that He’s the Bread of Life; that following Him will give them Eternal Life and they reject that. They aren’t looking for spiritual food. They are looking for a messiah that will meet their physical needs and so they turn away from Him.
Jesus turns to the 12 disciples and asks them, “Do you want to leave, too?” Peter answers for them all and says, “To whom would we go? You have the words of Eternal Life.” Peter has surrendered his will to Jesus. He is following Jesus closely. He’s not bouncing from man to man, looking for a Messiah that fits his picture of a messiah. He’s following his shepherd.
You can see the change in Peter as you read through the New Testament. He changes from Simon, the brash, prideful, compulsive fisherman to Peter, the leader of the first century church. How did he change? He surrendered to the will of the shepherd.
There is one last point I want to make; that is that Peter shows evidence that he follows Jesus by asking the question, “To whom would we go?” We show evidence of our surrender through the following of his commands.
John 14:21
21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
He who loves me follows my commands. The sheep are guided by the command of the shepherd and they follow and have affection for the shepherd.
My daughter has a cat. When she leaves to go somewhere that cat sits by the door and waits for her to come home. When she does he sits in her arms and rubs his face against her. He doesn’t do that with the rest of us only her. There is affection that he has for her. He follows her everywhere. Where you find Emily you’ll find the cat. That cat will hear Emily’s voice and run in that direction, not the rest of us. This is what Jesus says about the sheep. The sheep follow him, they know his voice, and they follow only him
If you love Jesus you will follow His commands…willingly…even the ones you don’t want to follow. If you identify with Jesus as your shepherd, you can see real change in your life. You can experience deliverance and you can know real joy.
They followed because they identified with the courage and ideals of their leader. They bought into his vision. Many of his men loved him and they dressed like him, they affected his mannerisms. Their identity with him led them to follow him and obey his commands.
Identity is a powerful force. When we identify with the vision of the leader, we’ll follow without reservation. This happens in military organizations all over the world. It happens in Fire Departments, Police Departments, and just about any aspect of life that you can imagine.
It should happen in the church of Jesus Christ, as well. We should buy into His vision and willingly follow our leader and shepherd: Jesus Christ. I want to continue with my series, “Identifying with Christ.” I believe that the keys to life change and deliverance lie in identifying with Jesus.
John 10:14-16
.14 “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.15 “As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.16 “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
Jesus Knows his Followers And We Know Him
Sheep calling contests are common in the Palestine. Several flocks of sheep are placed in an enclosure and mixed together. Then shepherds whistle a distinctive tune; some call or shout in a peculiar manner. Some shepherds use a pipe with a particular pitch. Each shepherd’s signal is understood by his own sheep and they respond immediately. They make their way through the crowded enclosure to where their shepherd is waiting. The shepherd who collects a given number of sheep in the shortest time is the winner.
Why do the sheep respond to their own shepherd’s peculiar signal? They respond because they know and trust their shepherd. They know he brings them to food and water, that he protects them from wolves and lions. He has even rescued from death and injury. So, they recognize his call and respond. This is the way we should be with our shepherd: The one who has rescued us from the danger of sin and saved us from spiritual death. Jesus is our shepherd and as His flock we should know and trust Him.
A good shepherd knows his sheep. He knows which are stubborn and which are compliant. He knows which ones tend to wander. He has to know and understand each one in order to keep them safe and within the fold.
The same is true of Jesus. He knows His followers. He knows what’s going on in our minds and hearts. He understands our attitudes and behavior. He’s a good shepherd; He knows His sheep. The Bible tells us He knows us intimately.
Matthew 10:29-30
29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
God knows how many hairs are on our heads. He knows what makes us tick. He sees what’s in our hearts. Have you ever known someone so well that you could understand how he or she would react to something? You could guess what decision they would make. That comes from knowing someone really well. You understand their personality. You know how they think, how they will feel about something. That is being able to see their heart. You can see the good things in their personality and their character and you see the bad. You see their heart.
The Bible tells us that God looks at men differently than we look at men. God doesn’t look at the outward he sees the character of the man. We make judgments about people by what they look like don’t we? That girl is beautiful and has a nice smile; she must be a nice person. That guy’s big and good-looking; he’s probably a good leader.
That’s how we think, but it isn’t how God thinks. He knows us well. He sees our hearts. The amazing thing is that even though He sees what’s deep inside. He sees the things that we even try to hide from ourselves and He still cares for us. He cares enough that He gave His life for us. That’s the ay a shepherd acts, he gives his life for his sheep.
John 10:11-13
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.12 “But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.13 “The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
This scripture tells us something about Jesus’ character. He’s like a shepherd that gives his life for his sheep. It speaks of His faithfulness. He faces danger and death for His sheep. This is what Christ has done for us. He has given his life. It wasn’t taken from Him…He gave it.
It’s interesting to watch shepherds as they work in the Israel. We don’t really see shepherds much in Taiwan. But in Israel the shepherds lead the sheep, they walk before them in front of them and the sheep follow them. They crowd around the shepherd and stay close.
We should be like those sheep wanting to be closer, not following because we have to, but because we wnant to be near Him. That’s why the sheep press in on the shepherd like that…they want the comfort that comes from being near him. They don’t just go to the shepherd when there’s trouble. They go to him and follow him all the time.
But people are different, aren’t they? Most of us only come to Jesus when there’s trouble in our lives. When things are going well we don’t see the need. Have you noticed that? When things are going well in people’s lives, they become hit and miss about church attendance. When we have the things we need or want, we give those things precedence over the one who provides them for us. I can’t begin to tell you how many women I have known that prayed for a husband then as soon as they found a boyfriend they gave up all their ministry and disappeared from church. When we get what we want, suddenly we’re not crowding around the shepherd anymore. Things are safe, there’s no apparent danger.
The shepherd understands the needs of the sheep. He provides for those needs. He leads them to food and water. He protects them from danger. He looks out for their well-being. Someone who understands your strengths and weaknesses is in a better position to meet your needs and to protect you…from yourself. In order for jesus to be qualified to be the shepherd He must understand us; and he does.
Hebrews 4:13-15
13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
No creature is naked to Him. He sees all of us. He sees beyond the image we project to the world. He knows our hearts and He can sympathize. That word sympathize means He can enter into the feelings of another. In other words He knows what it’s like to be us. There’s compassion in that. He wants to see our needs met.
In Matthew Chapter 8, a leper comes to Jesus and he says, “If you will, I can be cleansed.” In the New King James Version, Jesus replies. “I will…be cleansed.” But look at his response to that statement as it is presented in the Weust Expanded New Testament. (A type of Amplified version of the Bible.) “I desire it from all of my heart.” That’s how Jesus feels about meeting our needs. He desires it from all of His heart. He knows and understands our needs and desires to see them fulfilled.
We Follow Willingly
The sheep in our illustration follow the shepherd closely. They gather around him. They walk close to him. They respond to his voice. That’s a picture of how it should be for us to follow Jesus. The problem is that we miss this idea. We think we can be independent of the shepherd and still see him meet our needs. There are few of us who give ourselves completely into the care of the shepherd. I know two women that are about the same age, both unmarried.
One of them is looking for a husband. She’s desperate. She sees herself getting older and there’s no man in the near future for her. But that’s what she prays for. God bring me a man. She had been saved about 8 years and there weren’t any men for her yet. So she became angry with God and left the church.
The other woman has told me she’s waiting for God. She gets lonely sometimes but she isn’t desperate for a husband. She says she’ll get married when God brings a man for her and says, “This is Him.” Her whole philosophy is to wait for God and God’s guidance.
The second one is the one who has given herself completely into Jesus’ care. She follows closely by the shepherd, listening for His voice, looking to see where He will guide her. And do you know what? Time after time I have seen God move in her life, meeting her needs. That’s how a shepherd works in the lives of his sheep. But do you know what the key is? It’s the surrender of her own will to follow the will of the shepherd.
Look at your own relationship with Christ. Are you pressing in to be close to Him? Or are you lingering out on the fringes? Are you looking for the shepherd to guide you, or are you making your own decisions? Are you surrendering your own will to follow the will of the shepherd?
Surrender is the key to many of the locked doors in your life. It’s the key to real change in your life. It’s the key to deliverance. It’s the key to God’s provision. Without willingly surrendering yourself into his care those doors will remain closed.
I want you to think about that statement for a moment. When you turn your will over to His will and you begin to follow closely. You will see that His ways are not like our ways. As you endeavor to live His way and to think like He would think, His thoughts will become your thoughts and you will act accordingly.
Now what does that mean? You will find yourself looking at the world, not from your carnal, selfish way of thinking, but from His way of thinking. You will then respond with actions based on His way of thinking. Christians often talk about being “Born Again” but being born again comes from taking different actions than you took in your old way of thinking.
This is where deliverance springs from, you’re dependent on Jesus for direction and protection. Too many times we turn to sin for comfort. We mistake lust for the love that we’re searching for. We mistake the feeling of drugs and alcohol for the joy and happiness that we’re seeking. By following Jesus for direction and protection we can experience real love and know true joy and happiness.
If we follow Christ He will bring us to places of provision. That’s what a shepherd does. He provides food and water for the sheep. He is the provider. If we follow Jesus He will see that our needs are met. The sheep that follow the shepherd have surrendered their lives to the shepherd. We also need to surrender to our shepherd and follow willingly, wherever he leads us.
What does it mean to Follow Him
John 10:3-5
3 “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.4 “And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.5 “Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
The sheep in this scripture are listening for the voice of the shepherd. They listen for that one voice. They don’t answer to just any call. They listen and respond only to His call.
There are so many people who go to this church and that church. They go looking around, shopping around for a church that will satisfy their needs. They aren’t listening for the call of the shepherd in the place where they are, they’re answering every call. This is a dangerous behavior. There is no surrender there. It’s still a carnal, selfish way of thinking. “I’ll find out what’s the best thing going!”
John Chapter 6 tells of a story of people that are not surrendered. They’re still looking to have their own needs met. They’re looking for Jesus to be they want Him to be, instead of surrendering their lives and following Him.
Jesus has just fed 5,000 men and their families on a young boy’s lunch. The people begin to follow Him because of that miracle. They are looking to keep their bellies full. They’re looking to have carnal needs met. But Jesus begins to tell them that He’s the Bread of Life; that following Him will give them Eternal Life and they reject that. They aren’t looking for spiritual food. They are looking for a messiah that will meet their physical needs and so they turn away from Him.
Jesus turns to the 12 disciples and asks them, “Do you want to leave, too?” Peter answers for them all and says, “To whom would we go? You have the words of Eternal Life.” Peter has surrendered his will to Jesus. He is following Jesus closely. He’s not bouncing from man to man, looking for a Messiah that fits his picture of a messiah. He’s following his shepherd.
You can see the change in Peter as you read through the New Testament. He changes from Simon, the brash, prideful, compulsive fisherman to Peter, the leader of the first century church. How did he change? He surrendered to the will of the shepherd.
There is one last point I want to make; that is that Peter shows evidence that he follows Jesus by asking the question, “To whom would we go?” We show evidence of our surrender through the following of his commands.
John 14:21
21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
He who loves me follows my commands. The sheep are guided by the command of the shepherd and they follow and have affection for the shepherd.
My daughter has a cat. When she leaves to go somewhere that cat sits by the door and waits for her to come home. When she does he sits in her arms and rubs his face against her. He doesn’t do that with the rest of us only her. There is affection that he has for her. He follows her everywhere. Where you find Emily you’ll find the cat. That cat will hear Emily’s voice and run in that direction, not the rest of us. This is what Jesus says about the sheep. The sheep follow him, they know his voice, and they follow only him
If you love Jesus you will follow His commands…willingly…even the ones you don’t want to follow. If you identify with Jesus as your shepherd, you can see real change in your life. You can experience deliverance and you can know real joy.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Identifying with Christ: Putting Off the Old Man
On August 6, 2008 ten members of a notorious motorcycle gang were arrested in a pre-dawn raid. They were charged with attempted murder and weapons charges. These charges were brought after a fight with members of the “Hell’s Angels” motorcycle club in a bar in Newport Beach, California. The man called, “The Chief” stated on his Myspace page, “We’re not your normal motorcycle club, some people say we’re too good for the bad guys and too bad for the good guys.”
Deputy District Attorney, Erik Patterson said, “They are a violent street gang, because they carry on a pattern of criminal gang activity.”
This doesn’t seem particularly unusual, does it? It seems to happen with great regularity. But, this motorcycle club is a ministry for an international church. These men claim to be born again Christians. The problem is that while they may have prayed and received Jesus, they have never changed. They continue to look and act like outlaw motorcyclists.
This is a case of mistaken identity. We have a tendency to look and act like those with whom we identify. What changes us is when we begin to identify with Christ; when he becomes the role model for us.
Ephesians 4:17-24
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.20 But you have not so learned Christ,21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
With Whom Do You Identify
In December of 2007 a young boy was found living in a wolf’s lair in Kaluga, Russia. He was what is called a “feral child.” That’s a child who has lived in the wild. He wasn’t raised by loving parents; he didn’t speak Russian; he didn’t understand how to act like a human being. He was raised by wolves and all of his responses were as a wolf would respond.
In other words, he identified with wolves. He lived and acted like a wolf, he responded to contact with people with grunts, growls and snarls. Because of that identification with wolves, he was for all practical purposes a wolf.
In our illustration about the motorcycle club we see men who identify with the lifestyle and culture of outlaw motorcyclist, so they act like outlaw motorcyclists, even though they proclaim to be Christians. The same is true of this feral child, he identifies with the “culture” of the wolf pack so he acts like a wolf. But the Bible tells us that there should be a change that takes place in us, as we become Christians. We should no longer remain in sin. We should no longer walk as the world walks.
Romans 6:1-2
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
We are called to change. We are called to be different. But how many of us like change? How many think it’s easy to change? Change never comes easy it’s always difficult.
In the United States for years there has been a push to switch to the metric system. America remains on the “English” system of measurement: Miles, not kilometers; Fahrenheit, not Celsius. Why? Because people find it too difficult to change and learn a new system.
Change within the church is just as difficult. People still identify with who they were prior to salvation. I’ve met many young men who came out of a background of gang membership, but they remain caught up in the fashion, the language and the music of the gangs. In other words they are still caught up with the identity they had before Jesus.
But look at what the scripture says, “you have not so learned Christ.” A Christian group that is arrested for attempted murder and other crimes has not learned to identify with Jesus. Identification is the key to transformation. Learning Christ is to identify with Christ. The scripture goes on to say:
Ephesians 4:21-22
21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
If you have been taught by Him then put off the “old man.” In other words stop being who you were and become like Him.
But many people have justifications for remaining the same. I can more easily reach people like me, if I’m like them. The Pastor of this motorcycle club makes that argument. He said, “Bikers can relate to me. I don’t push myself on them. I build friendships and they come to Jesus.” But where does it stop: In the Barroom…In the knife fight…in the courtroom?
This is a good time for us to examine ourselves. With whom do you identify? We all had an identity before we got saved. What’s your identity now? Do you still identify yourself as before or do you identify yourself as a follower of Jesus now? The way you know the answer to that question is by how other people identify you. If someone was to describe you to someone else what would they say about you? He’s a hippy… he’s an intellectual…he’s a biker…he’s the wolf boy. Or would they say, “He’s a Christian?
With Whom Do Others Identify You?
Before I got saved I had a lot of problems. I acted in certain ways that were wrong. I actually recognized that what I was doing was wrong, and dangerous for me. That it was causing damage to me, but you know I couldn’t stop.
I couldn’t stop because I began to buy into the idea that “This is who I am.” I began to identify with my behavior. I figured I would always be that way. But things changed for me because I allowed myself to “learn Christ.” It was His power through my identification with Him that caused the changes in me.
Identification with others is something we all long for. It’s a apart of being accepted. But the problem with identification is that it can be a tool that Satan can use to keep you from the change that Jesus requires.
Ephesians 4:22-24
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
So there is the change that’s required. It’s more than saying, “I’m a Christian now,” and attending church occasionally. The call is for change, we need to, “put on the new man.” Look at this:
Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.22 “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
“I never knew you, depart from me you who practice lawlessness.” Think about this for a moment, to whom is Jesus speaking?
Mark 16:17
17 “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
So, those who say things like, “have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, done many wonders in your name,” are Christians. So, why does Jesus say, “Depart from Me you who practice lawlessness?” He says that because there’s no change. They’re still sinners. God recognizes them by their fruit.
What fruit are you producing today? Your fruit is what shows in your life. Are you still at odds with everyone? Are you still angry and hurtful? Are you looking to forgive or are you looking for revenge? That’s the fruit that shows in your life.
Most of us aren’t botanists. We don’t know what a pear tree looks like or the difference between a pear tree and apple tree. But we can recognize a pear and we know what it looks like compared to an apple. So if we come upon the tree with fruit then we will recognize what kind of tree it is.
If someone comes up to me on the street, they may not know I’m a Christian. If some just walks up and sees me they may just think I’m an “old guy.” But if they saw the church, and the changes that have taken place in my life: In other words, if they saw the fruit in my life, they would be able to recognize it.
Where does the fruit come from? It comes as we learn Christ…as we identify with Him…as wee try to be like Him. This should be the goal of every follower of Jesus that we would be like Him. And you may ask what He was like when He was on the earth.
Acts 10:37-38
37 “that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:38 “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
He went about doing good. Are you doing good, or are you still causing problems for everyone else? Who are you identifying with?
The Pharisees told Jesus they were sons of Abraham. They identified themselves with Abraham. But Jesus told them if you identify with Abraham they you would do the works of Abraham. Then he tells them He identifies them with Satan because they act like Satan.
John 8:44
44 “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
If Jesus were here to day with whom would He identify you? That would depend on how you live.
Put Off the Old Man
Each of us carries our old selves into our new lives. There was a radical group in America in the 1970’s that robbed a bank and killed a woman, then tried to blow up two LA Police Cars. One of the people in that group went underground. She moved to Minnesota, married a doctor, changed her life and hid from the Police for 25 years, until she was arrested. She was a completely different person but the problem was that she took her crimes with her. Eventually, someone recognized her and tipped off the FBI and she got arrested. She couldn’t escape who she was.
Wherever she went she took her old self with her. But we have an opportunity, as far as God is concerned, to be new people. We have an opportunity to lay aside the sin that was in our lives when we got saved and become new creatures. That’s why it’s called being born again.
2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
If you identify with Christ; if you are “in Christ,” then you are a new creation. You become a new person. But the problem is that you can take the old person into the new life and make the new creation just like the old one.
I got saved as I began to recognize the problems I had in my life. I needed a second chance, and when I got it I decided hat I would do whatever it took to make a new life. I did what was necessary in order to change. Why would you cry out for a second chance at life and then make the new life just like the old life.
Sometimes we want to continue certain parts of the old life. So we dress the same, talk the same, and hang out with the same people. But the danger in that is that eventually we can wind up the same.
Some people have difficulty escaping the old life. They constantly flit back and forth between salvation and sin. When I got saved I knew I had to make some wrong things right. I had to confront the things I’d done to people and make it right with them. Some people see those things as too difficult and their past chases them and they can’t outrun it.
That’s why we need to make a commitment to be like Jesus. We need to commit to doing whatever is necessary to be like Him. Do you realize the more you hear of the word of God the stronger your faith becomes. The more you immerse yourself in the Bible the more you understand what it means to be like Christ. The more you associate yourselves with the people of God the more you will identify with what it means to be a Christian.. These things will help you to identify with Christ and put off the old man.
Deputy District Attorney, Erik Patterson said, “They are a violent street gang, because they carry on a pattern of criminal gang activity.”
This doesn’t seem particularly unusual, does it? It seems to happen with great regularity. But, this motorcycle club is a ministry for an international church. These men claim to be born again Christians. The problem is that while they may have prayed and received Jesus, they have never changed. They continue to look and act like outlaw motorcyclists.
This is a case of mistaken identity. We have a tendency to look and act like those with whom we identify. What changes us is when we begin to identify with Christ; when he becomes the role model for us.
Ephesians 4:17-24
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.20 But you have not so learned Christ,21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
With Whom Do You Identify
In December of 2007 a young boy was found living in a wolf’s lair in Kaluga, Russia. He was what is called a “feral child.” That’s a child who has lived in the wild. He wasn’t raised by loving parents; he didn’t speak Russian; he didn’t understand how to act like a human being. He was raised by wolves and all of his responses were as a wolf would respond.
In other words, he identified with wolves. He lived and acted like a wolf, he responded to contact with people with grunts, growls and snarls. Because of that identification with wolves, he was for all practical purposes a wolf.
In our illustration about the motorcycle club we see men who identify with the lifestyle and culture of outlaw motorcyclist, so they act like outlaw motorcyclists, even though they proclaim to be Christians. The same is true of this feral child, he identifies with the “culture” of the wolf pack so he acts like a wolf. But the Bible tells us that there should be a change that takes place in us, as we become Christians. We should no longer remain in sin. We should no longer walk as the world walks.
Romans 6:1-2
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
We are called to change. We are called to be different. But how many of us like change? How many think it’s easy to change? Change never comes easy it’s always difficult.
In the United States for years there has been a push to switch to the metric system. America remains on the “English” system of measurement: Miles, not kilometers; Fahrenheit, not Celsius. Why? Because people find it too difficult to change and learn a new system.
Change within the church is just as difficult. People still identify with who they were prior to salvation. I’ve met many young men who came out of a background of gang membership, but they remain caught up in the fashion, the language and the music of the gangs. In other words they are still caught up with the identity they had before Jesus.
But look at what the scripture says, “you have not so learned Christ.” A Christian group that is arrested for attempted murder and other crimes has not learned to identify with Jesus. Identification is the key to transformation. Learning Christ is to identify with Christ. The scripture goes on to say:
Ephesians 4:21-22
21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
If you have been taught by Him then put off the “old man.” In other words stop being who you were and become like Him.
But many people have justifications for remaining the same. I can more easily reach people like me, if I’m like them. The Pastor of this motorcycle club makes that argument. He said, “Bikers can relate to me. I don’t push myself on them. I build friendships and they come to Jesus.” But where does it stop: In the Barroom…In the knife fight…in the courtroom?
This is a good time for us to examine ourselves. With whom do you identify? We all had an identity before we got saved. What’s your identity now? Do you still identify yourself as before or do you identify yourself as a follower of Jesus now? The way you know the answer to that question is by how other people identify you. If someone was to describe you to someone else what would they say about you? He’s a hippy… he’s an intellectual…he’s a biker…he’s the wolf boy. Or would they say, “He’s a Christian?
With Whom Do Others Identify You?
Before I got saved I had a lot of problems. I acted in certain ways that were wrong. I actually recognized that what I was doing was wrong, and dangerous for me. That it was causing damage to me, but you know I couldn’t stop.
I couldn’t stop because I began to buy into the idea that “This is who I am.” I began to identify with my behavior. I figured I would always be that way. But things changed for me because I allowed myself to “learn Christ.” It was His power through my identification with Him that caused the changes in me.
Identification with others is something we all long for. It’s a apart of being accepted. But the problem with identification is that it can be a tool that Satan can use to keep you from the change that Jesus requires.
Ephesians 4:22-24
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
So there is the change that’s required. It’s more than saying, “I’m a Christian now,” and attending church occasionally. The call is for change, we need to, “put on the new man.” Look at this:
Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.22 “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
“I never knew you, depart from me you who practice lawlessness.” Think about this for a moment, to whom is Jesus speaking?
Mark 16:17
17 “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
So, those who say things like, “have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, done many wonders in your name,” are Christians. So, why does Jesus say, “Depart from Me you who practice lawlessness?” He says that because there’s no change. They’re still sinners. God recognizes them by their fruit.
What fruit are you producing today? Your fruit is what shows in your life. Are you still at odds with everyone? Are you still angry and hurtful? Are you looking to forgive or are you looking for revenge? That’s the fruit that shows in your life.
Most of us aren’t botanists. We don’t know what a pear tree looks like or the difference between a pear tree and apple tree. But we can recognize a pear and we know what it looks like compared to an apple. So if we come upon the tree with fruit then we will recognize what kind of tree it is.
If someone comes up to me on the street, they may not know I’m a Christian. If some just walks up and sees me they may just think I’m an “old guy.” But if they saw the church, and the changes that have taken place in my life: In other words, if they saw the fruit in my life, they would be able to recognize it.
Where does the fruit come from? It comes as we learn Christ…as we identify with Him…as wee try to be like Him. This should be the goal of every follower of Jesus that we would be like Him. And you may ask what He was like when He was on the earth.
Acts 10:37-38
37 “that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:38 “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
He went about doing good. Are you doing good, or are you still causing problems for everyone else? Who are you identifying with?
The Pharisees told Jesus they were sons of Abraham. They identified themselves with Abraham. But Jesus told them if you identify with Abraham they you would do the works of Abraham. Then he tells them He identifies them with Satan because they act like Satan.
John 8:44
44 “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
If Jesus were here to day with whom would He identify you? That would depend on how you live.
Put Off the Old Man
Each of us carries our old selves into our new lives. There was a radical group in America in the 1970’s that robbed a bank and killed a woman, then tried to blow up two LA Police Cars. One of the people in that group went underground. She moved to Minnesota, married a doctor, changed her life and hid from the Police for 25 years, until she was arrested. She was a completely different person but the problem was that she took her crimes with her. Eventually, someone recognized her and tipped off the FBI and she got arrested. She couldn’t escape who she was.
Wherever she went she took her old self with her. But we have an opportunity, as far as God is concerned, to be new people. We have an opportunity to lay aside the sin that was in our lives when we got saved and become new creatures. That’s why it’s called being born again.
2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
If you identify with Christ; if you are “in Christ,” then you are a new creation. You become a new person. But the problem is that you can take the old person into the new life and make the new creation just like the old one.
I got saved as I began to recognize the problems I had in my life. I needed a second chance, and when I got it I decided hat I would do whatever it took to make a new life. I did what was necessary in order to change. Why would you cry out for a second chance at life and then make the new life just like the old life.
Sometimes we want to continue certain parts of the old life. So we dress the same, talk the same, and hang out with the same people. But the danger in that is that eventually we can wind up the same.
Some people have difficulty escaping the old life. They constantly flit back and forth between salvation and sin. When I got saved I knew I had to make some wrong things right. I had to confront the things I’d done to people and make it right with them. Some people see those things as too difficult and their past chases them and they can’t outrun it.
That’s why we need to make a commitment to be like Jesus. We need to commit to doing whatever is necessary to be like Him. Do you realize the more you hear of the word of God the stronger your faith becomes. The more you immerse yourself in the Bible the more you understand what it means to be like Christ. The more you associate yourselves with the people of God the more you will identify with what it means to be a Christian.. These things will help you to identify with Christ and put off the old man.
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