HOPE AND HEALING
Pastor Josh Weisbrod - April 19, 2020
KEY IDEA: You are a child of God.
KEY PASSAGE: Romans 8:12-17
SUMMARY: Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we have a greater and more secured identity. The more we find our identity in Him as children of God, the more secure we will be in our life. We are able to resist temptation, experience a deeper love, and endure hardship with an eternal perspective when our security is in our God given identity.
There is No Condemnation in Christ
· Romans 8:1-4
· Jesus did not come to condemn us. He came to condemn sin in the flesh.
· Jesus came so that we might have freedom from sin and death. He paid the price to condemn sin in the flesh and bring us new life in the Spirit. Jesus took all of your sin and shame forever. Romans 5:6-8
· We think we write the mistakes of our life on the pages of our future with permanent marker, but Jesus’ blood comes and washes them clean.
· The work of the spirit to free us from this sin and death doesn’t make us passive in how we live.
New Life Requires Dying Daily to Our Old Flesh
· In order to be secured in our identity as children of God we have to constantly reject and put to death the deeds of the flesh (sin and shame, not a physical death).
· Say ‘no’ to the flesh every day and say ‘yes’ to Jesus every single day.
· We are on the road towards holiness. This is a journey of sanctification.
Holy Spirit is Indwelt within Us as Our Helper
· By the power of the Holy Spirit I am able to walk in obedience and therefore the new life.
· When we break from the Holy Spirit, we break from the Truth. The enemy then lies to us and condemns us.
· We walk out the new life, not by our own power, but by His power. Romans 8:14-15
We Have a Spirit of Sonship Instead of Slavery
· We are called sons of God.
· We have received a spirit, not of fear, but a spirit that cries out Abba (what a child would cry to their daddy). 2 Timothy 1:7
· We have been given an intimate relationship with God.
· The spirit implants within us that sense of intimacy and abolishes the bondage to sin, and with it the reason to fear.
· Our identity is not in fear of judgement for our past. Our identity is rooted in our sonship, which brings intimacy. We don’t live in fear, we live in love. 1 John 4:18
You are a Child of God
· Regardless of what is happening around me, my identity is rooted in this one statement—I am a child of God!
Romans 8:16-17
· Our sonship gives us endurance and an inheritance. Phillipians 3:20
· When our identity and our roots are secured in Jesus Christ, we are not defeated by the insecutity of the situation.
· God is the solid rock and foundation of our life.
REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Use these reflection questions as a way to deepen your relationship with God. Allow the Holy Spirit to shine a light into your heart.
1) Share a moment or an experience when you thought to yourself: This is not who I am!
2) In Romans 8 it says that there is no condemnation in Christ. Pastor Josh said, “We think we write the mistakes of our life on the pages of our future with permanent marker.” Have you ever felt that the mistakes or sins in your past are written in permanent ink? How easy or difficult is it for you to believe that the blood of Jesus washes you completely clean?
3) What is your favorite part about being a daughter / son of God?
4) As Christians, we can sometimes forget that we are daughters and sons of God and we can pick up an old identity. What has been helpful to you to remember and come back to your true identity in Christ?
5) When you look at the church as the entire body of Christ, do you think most Christians truly believe that they are the sons and daughters of God? Why or why not? What would it look like if we all truly believed that we were sons and daughters of the God Most High?
Full Podcast Episode: http://banner.church/podcast/2020/5/25/hope-amp-healing-identity-41920