WEBVTT 00:00:09.449 --> 00:00:14.289 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.289 --> 00:00:16.589 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand, 00:00:16.750 --> 00:00:19.809 with dozens of nationalities worshiping together. 00:00:20.109 --> 00:00:22.989 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:22.989 --> 00:00:27.210 you are through our website ecb .asia or our 00:00:27.210 --> 00:00:31.030 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:31.030 --> 00:00:36.409 by this week's sermon. Good morning. This is 00:00:36.409 --> 00:00:39.310 the beginning of a very important season for 00:00:39.310 --> 00:00:45.170 us as Christians because for the next weeks until 00:00:45.170 --> 00:00:48.509 the end of the month, we are reflecting on the 00:00:48.509 --> 00:00:51.369 life of Jesus and what he accomplished for us 00:00:51.369 --> 00:00:56.850 on the cross. We will end March with the celebration 00:00:56.850 --> 00:01:01.969 of Palm Sunday and then we'll begin April with 00:01:01.969 --> 00:01:05.739 Easter. So today we mark the beginning of this 00:01:05.739 --> 00:01:09.159 season for us, and I pray that as we go through 00:01:09.159 --> 00:01:11.959 these studies together, it will be an insightful 00:01:11.959 --> 00:01:15.760 time of digging deeper into understanding what 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:18.420 is it that Jesus has done for us so that we might 00:01:18.420 --> 00:01:22.299 follow him in the freedom that he purchased for 00:01:22.299 --> 00:01:25.840 us. May the Lord bless us as we begin this season. 00:01:26.459 --> 00:01:33.750 Please join me as I pray. This new season Lord. 00:01:33.849 --> 00:01:38.650 With so much excitement. We finished last Sunday. 00:01:38.849 --> 00:01:41.930 Celebrating what you have done. In our midst. 00:01:42.650 --> 00:01:47.430 We celebrated your grace. And now begin this 00:01:47.430 --> 00:01:52.769 season Lord. Celebrating you. Who you are. That 00:01:52.769 --> 00:01:58.129 we can call you Savior. Our King. That we can 00:01:58.129 --> 00:02:02.989 follow you. Lord, I ask you that as we start 00:02:02.989 --> 00:02:08.110 this new study, you will use it so that our lives 00:02:08.110 --> 00:02:10.889 will be transformed in the deepest parts of our 00:02:10.889 --> 00:02:15.729 being, deep inside our souls. Reach in those 00:02:15.729 --> 00:02:21.870 places, Lord. And what we need today is not just 00:02:21.870 --> 00:02:29.099 another sermon. We need your voice. So will you 00:02:29.099 --> 00:02:34.280 reach us wherever we are and use me in the power 00:02:34.280 --> 00:02:39.159 of your spirit and in your grace, in your strength. 00:02:40.060 --> 00:02:46.379 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Above all, walking 00:02:46.379 --> 00:02:49.199 in the victory of Jesus. That is the name of 00:02:49.199 --> 00:02:51.879 the study that we begin today and will take us 00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:55.919 all the way to the end of the month. The goal 00:02:55.919 --> 00:02:59.860 of this study, It's for us to reflect and understand 00:02:59.860 --> 00:03:04.300 more deeply what Jesus has accomplished for us 00:03:04.300 --> 00:03:08.319 so that we can walk more and more in that space 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:13.039 of freedom and peace that he already came to 00:03:13.039 --> 00:03:18.439 give us. And that's why the first part of this 00:03:18.439 --> 00:03:22.139 study today is going to start with a question 00:03:22.139 --> 00:03:27.069 that is very personal. And it's this. Who are 00:03:27.069 --> 00:03:31.310 you? Now on the surface, you may immediately 00:03:31.310 --> 00:03:34.509 think of an answer, but I don't mean that. I 00:03:34.509 --> 00:03:43.129 mean, who really are you? Molly was a very famous 00:03:43.129 --> 00:03:48.310 journalist in the U .S. and Texas. She already 00:03:48.310 --> 00:03:52.530 passed away. But even though she was famous and 00:03:52.530 --> 00:03:55.400 well accomplished, She would share how one of 00:03:55.400 --> 00:03:59.699 her struggles was that she always felt and thought 00:03:59.699 --> 00:04:04.259 that she was ugly, even though she wasn't. But 00:04:04.259 --> 00:04:07.300 it all started because even though she grew up 00:04:07.300 --> 00:04:10.580 in a Christian home with her parents being conservative 00:04:10.580 --> 00:04:14.000 family, every time that they would have friends 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:16.920 coming over as they were little kids, the mom 00:04:16.920 --> 00:04:19.420 would... introduced the two daughters saying 00:04:19.420 --> 00:04:22.120 about the sister, she's the pretty one, and about 00:04:22.120 --> 00:04:24.680 Molly, she's the smart one, because Molly loved 00:04:24.680 --> 00:04:29.000 to read books. What Molly heard all her life 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:32.040 was, I'm the ugly one, my sister is the pretty 00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:39.420 one, so she grew up with this identity. So the 00:04:39.420 --> 00:04:41.220 first answer would have been, well, I'm a successful 00:04:41.220 --> 00:04:44.199 journalist, but no, Molly, who do you really 00:04:44.199 --> 00:04:52.050 feel you are? Deep in your soul. Beyond the titles 00:04:52.050 --> 00:04:58.129 and the facade. Molly would simply have to recognize. 00:04:58.329 --> 00:05:06.730 I'm still that little ugly girl. It doesn't matter 00:05:06.730 --> 00:05:11.410 where we have come in life. There are things 00:05:11.410 --> 00:05:14.970 that have shaped our identity. And the gospel. 00:05:15.759 --> 00:05:19.500 Of Jesus Christ. Wants to touch that part of 00:05:19.500 --> 00:05:23.040 our being. So that we will be free from the deceptions 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:29.459 of the enemy. And the question of identity. Can 00:05:29.459 --> 00:05:33.100 be very distorted. From a woman that is pretty 00:05:33.100 --> 00:05:35.660 and well accomplished. Thinking that she is an 00:05:35.660 --> 00:05:40.259 ugly woman. To even more complex things. It so 00:05:40.259 --> 00:05:44.569 happened these couple of weeks in the US. in 00:05:44.569 --> 00:05:48.050 North Carolina that there was a case of a teacher 00:05:48.050 --> 00:05:52.470 that was fired. I happened to learn about it 00:05:52.470 --> 00:05:54.350 and I started following the case because it was 00:05:54.350 --> 00:05:57.209 very intriguing. Some of the kindergarten kids 00:05:57.209 --> 00:06:00.189 started coming home complaining to the parents 00:06:00.189 --> 00:06:03.449 that they were scared about the teacher and how 00:06:03.449 --> 00:06:05.670 at some moments the teacher would ask them to 00:06:05.670 --> 00:06:09.050 howl like little wolves. And so the parents started 00:06:09.050 --> 00:06:11.769 trying to figure out what's going on. And so 00:06:11.769 --> 00:06:14.050 it happened that they discovered that the teacher 00:06:14.050 --> 00:06:17.389 was very peculiar because this aspect of identity 00:06:17.389 --> 00:06:22.930 has moved to a question of not who are you, but 00:06:22.930 --> 00:06:26.870 how do you identify yourself? And that's how 00:06:26.870 --> 00:06:30.310 it has become framed. So this particular teacher, 00:06:30.589 --> 00:06:34.589 it says the news article, I show it here for 00:06:34.589 --> 00:06:37.829 you. This kindergarten teacher who identified 00:06:37.829 --> 00:06:42.509 as trans wolf wore collar and tail, fired after 00:06:42.509 --> 00:06:48.389 parents raised alarm. So who are you? This person 00:06:48.389 --> 00:06:52.769 will tell the kids, I am biologically a male, 00:06:52.970 --> 00:06:55.850 but I am really in the wrong body because I'm 00:06:55.850 --> 00:06:58.750 really a woman. But not only am I a woman, but 00:06:58.750 --> 00:07:03.850 I'm also a wolf. And at night I transform into 00:07:03.850 --> 00:07:08.600 a wolf. And she will show up or he will show 00:07:08.600 --> 00:07:13.060 up to class with a tail and a collar and ask 00:07:13.060 --> 00:07:20.319 the kids to howl like little wolves. It gets 00:07:20.319 --> 00:07:26.319 complex, doesn't it? Because who is to say, who 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:31.439 am I? Me? And if I am to say, who am I? And my 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:35.050 identity is self -defined. then where does it 00:07:35.050 --> 00:07:45.589 end? Identity. It's at the core of what Jesus 00:07:45.589 --> 00:07:51.110 came to address. And the problem of identity 00:07:51.110 --> 00:07:55.689 is that if we have the wrong perception of who 00:07:55.689 --> 00:08:00.389 we are, we are going to have symptoms that... 00:08:00.600 --> 00:08:03.339 tell us that we have the wrong perception and 00:08:03.339 --> 00:08:07.720 some of those symptoms are things like fear and 00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:11.699 shame and feeling inferior and comparing ourselves 00:08:11.699 --> 00:08:15.000 to others and all of these different things that 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:18.680 are underlying our experience day to day in the 00:08:18.680 --> 00:08:22.939 things that we engage. Where does this all begin? 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:28.889 And where does it lead? Because if Jesus came 00:08:28.889 --> 00:08:31.990 to address this, how it developed and what did 00:08:31.990 --> 00:08:35.509 he do to address it? And that's exactly what 00:08:35.509 --> 00:08:38.389 we will do in the rest of this study. Where does 00:08:38.389 --> 00:08:42.690 the concept of distorted identity begin and what 00:08:42.690 --> 00:08:47.750 did Jesus do to address it? So are you ready 00:08:47.750 --> 00:08:52.190 to dig deep into the word? We have to go to the 00:08:52.190 --> 00:08:57.419 beginning. At the very beginning of creation, 00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:02.759 we are told that we humans had our beginning. 00:09:04.460 --> 00:09:08.740 And this is what the word of God says. That at 00:09:08.740 --> 00:09:10.679 the beginning when God created the heavens and 00:09:10.679 --> 00:09:14.779 the earth, and he created the world and all the 00:09:14.779 --> 00:09:17.779 ecosystem of life within it, he created humans. 00:09:19.580 --> 00:09:24.159 And then God said, let us make mankind in our 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:29.269 image, In our likeness. So that they may rule. 00:09:33.230 --> 00:09:36.610 So from the very beginning it tells us. What 00:09:36.610 --> 00:09:41.029 was the identity and the purpose. Let us make 00:09:41.029 --> 00:09:43.490 man in our image in our likeness. So that he 00:09:43.490 --> 00:09:48.500 may rule. Over the fish. In the sea. And the 00:09:48.500 --> 00:09:51.820 birds in the sky. Over the livestock. And all 00:09:51.820 --> 00:09:54.360 the wild animals. And over all the creatures 00:09:54.360 --> 00:09:58.419 that move along the ground. So God created mankind. 00:09:58.899 --> 00:10:03.460 In his own image. In the image of God. He created 00:10:03.460 --> 00:10:08.379 them. Male and female. He created them. And God 00:10:08.379 --> 00:10:12.720 blessed them and said to them. Be fruitful. And 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:16.840 increase in number. Fill the earth. And subdue 00:10:16.840 --> 00:10:21.980 it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds 00:10:21.980 --> 00:10:25.340 in the sky. And over every living creature that 00:10:25.340 --> 00:10:29.919 moves on the ground. So from the very beginning. 00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:35.159 Our identity is immediately established. We were 00:10:35.159 --> 00:10:39.940 designed by God in his image and his likeness. 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:45.100 And the same phrase is used later of the first. 00:10:45.639 --> 00:10:50.980 humans, Adam, with his child that he had. And 00:10:50.980 --> 00:10:54.220 this child that is born is described as Adam 00:10:54.220 --> 00:10:59.220 had a son in his image and his likeness, which 00:10:59.220 --> 00:11:07.450 means that this trickled down the road. humans 00:11:07.450 --> 00:11:10.230 were created in the image and likeness of God, 00:11:10.309 --> 00:11:14.029 and they reproduced, and everyone born were having 00:11:14.029 --> 00:11:17.309 the image and likeness of the person before them. 00:11:17.950 --> 00:11:20.269 And I know that there are lots of theologians 00:11:20.269 --> 00:11:22.929 that have written about why they speculate this 00:11:22.929 --> 00:11:25.970 may mean or may not mean. I'm very simplistic 00:11:25.970 --> 00:11:29.330 in these terms because I'm a parent myself. And 00:11:29.330 --> 00:11:32.529 if I looked at Adam and said, oh, so your child 00:11:32.529 --> 00:11:35.129 is in your image and your likeness, it means 00:11:35.129 --> 00:11:42.629 that he looks like you and he is like you. We 00:11:42.629 --> 00:11:48.570 had our identity established from the very beginning. 00:11:49.250 --> 00:11:53.350 And not only that, But we were also created for 00:11:53.350 --> 00:11:56.289 a purpose, and that was to be given authority 00:11:56.289 --> 00:12:00.649 to rule over creation. From the very beginning, 00:12:00.750 --> 00:12:08.950 established, done. But then the distortion happened. 00:12:09.629 --> 00:12:14.730 And the Bible says that the first humans were 00:12:14.730 --> 00:12:19.929 confronted with a lie, with a distortion. Genesis 00:12:19.929 --> 00:12:22.870 describes that there's a snake in the garden 00:12:22.870 --> 00:12:28.149 that appears and deceives Eve. Later, the Bible 00:12:28.149 --> 00:12:32.509 describes this ancient serpent as Satan, who 00:12:32.509 --> 00:12:36.210 becomes known later as the prince of this world, 00:12:36.450 --> 00:12:41.330 the prince of the kingdom of darkness, that which 00:12:41.330 --> 00:12:46.250 opposes God and is contrary to the plans and 00:12:46.250 --> 00:12:52.169 purposes of Jesus. And it is this deception that 00:12:52.169 --> 00:12:55.990 begins the distortion. We are told that at the 00:12:55.990 --> 00:12:59.230 beginning, when this interaction starts happening, 00:12:59.629 --> 00:13:03.730 Adam and Eve are told, look, I know that God 00:13:03.730 --> 00:13:06.649 told you not to eat of this tree, but actually 00:13:06.649 --> 00:13:11.429 don't listen to him. Because God knows that when 00:13:11.429 --> 00:13:15.389 you eat from it, your eyes will be open and you 00:13:15.389 --> 00:13:24.450 will be like God, knowing good. And evil. When 00:13:24.450 --> 00:13:27.169 the woman saw that the fruit in the tree was 00:13:27.169 --> 00:13:30.570 good for food and pleasing to the eye. And also 00:13:30.570 --> 00:13:34.149 desirable for gaining wisdom. She took some of 00:13:34.149 --> 00:13:37.409 it and ate it. And she also gave some of it to 00:13:37.409 --> 00:13:42.309 her husband who was with her. And he also ate 00:13:42.309 --> 00:13:46.730 it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened. 00:13:47.360 --> 00:13:50.779 And they realized they were naked, so they sewed 00:13:50.779 --> 00:13:55.139 figs' leaves together and made covering for themselves. 00:13:57.539 --> 00:14:01.840 And this is the very beginning of the deception. 00:14:01.919 --> 00:14:04.600 And this is where the distortion of identity 00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:14.360 took root. The identity was, you are already 00:14:14.360 --> 00:14:17.450 in God's image and His likeness. This is who 00:14:17.450 --> 00:14:21.629 you are. But the distortion of identity came 00:14:21.629 --> 00:14:25.230 and said, no, you are not what God said and don't 00:14:25.230 --> 00:14:30.309 trust what God said. And the result of that distortion 00:14:30.309 --> 00:14:33.490 was that humans started experiencing for the 00:14:33.490 --> 00:14:39.730 first time ever shame and fear. And they hid 00:14:39.730 --> 00:14:44.980 themselves. Let me go back for a second. For 00:14:44.980 --> 00:14:52.360 you to understand how significant this is. For 00:14:52.360 --> 00:14:57.379 God knows. That when you eat from it. Your eyes 00:14:57.379 --> 00:15:01.379 will be open. And you will be like God. It's 00:15:01.379 --> 00:15:08.620 like wait. Eve. Please. Let me understand. God 00:15:08.620 --> 00:15:11.460 just told you that you were created in his image 00:15:11.460 --> 00:15:14.679 and his likeness. That you already have his image. 00:15:14.980 --> 00:15:18.820 And that you already like him. And now this guy 00:15:18.820 --> 00:15:23.059 is telling you. Don't listen to that. Because. 00:15:24.159 --> 00:15:27.399 If you really want to be like him. You have to 00:15:27.399 --> 00:15:34.240 do this first. Don't listen to that. You are 00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:37.539 already that. You don't need to try to do something. 00:15:37.639 --> 00:15:42.039 To be what you already are. You are already like 00:15:42.039 --> 00:15:51.590 God. But Eve was not paying attention to that 00:15:51.590 --> 00:15:57.149 part. She focused on the verses when she saw 00:15:57.149 --> 00:15:59.549 that the fruit of the tree was good for food 00:15:59.549 --> 00:16:02.750 and pleasing to the eye, and suddenly that took 00:16:02.750 --> 00:16:05.990 her focus. By the way, for those of you that 00:16:05.990 --> 00:16:08.330 have believed for the longest time that this 00:16:08.330 --> 00:16:13.629 was an apple that she ate, welcome to Bible literacy. 00:16:14.970 --> 00:16:17.629 The Bible never identifies what fruit it was. 00:16:18.190 --> 00:16:21.210 He doesn't mention it. He says it was just a 00:16:21.210 --> 00:16:25.289 fruit that she ate. And the act of disobedience 00:16:25.289 --> 00:16:28.990 to God brought sin into the world and the distortion 00:16:28.990 --> 00:16:34.450 of identity. Listen to it. The deception becomes 00:16:34.450 --> 00:16:38.529 that in order to be what you already are, you 00:16:38.529 --> 00:16:46.190 have to do something. You get it? You have to 00:16:46.190 --> 00:16:49.019 understand that. Because that is the core of 00:16:49.019 --> 00:17:01.059 the deception. And so the distortion began, driven 00:17:01.059 --> 00:17:05.660 by shame and fear, driven with a purpose to prove 00:17:05.660 --> 00:17:13.880 that they were already what they were. What a 00:17:13.880 --> 00:17:20.750 waste. If they just knew who they were and trusted 00:17:20.750 --> 00:17:27.069 what God said. And this is at the root of the 00:17:27.069 --> 00:17:31.170 identity problem. And you fast forward into where 00:17:31.170 --> 00:17:33.710 we are today. And we have developed all these 00:17:33.710 --> 00:17:37.250 different ways of trying to become and prove 00:17:37.250 --> 00:17:44.309 that which you already are. Many years ago I 00:17:44.309 --> 00:17:49.480 was talking to this guy who was. Well off. Successful 00:17:49.480 --> 00:17:53.140 in life. But he was struggling with all of these 00:17:53.140 --> 00:17:56.380 different feelings of insecurity. And as we start 00:17:56.380 --> 00:17:58.700 digging into his story, what we discover is that 00:17:58.700 --> 00:18:02.740 despite the facade, despite all the success and 00:18:02.740 --> 00:18:07.839 the position and the money, he was still just 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:12.900 that little boy that grew up poor, that was trying 00:18:12.900 --> 00:18:18.619 to prove that he made it in life. So everything 00:18:18.619 --> 00:18:21.519 that he was doing was driven by that identity, 00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:28.599 trying to prove himself to the world. What a 00:18:28.599 --> 00:18:34.819 waste. Because what we will discover is that 00:18:34.819 --> 00:18:39.059 once you let the truth of Jesus touch that part 00:18:39.059 --> 00:18:43.720 of your being, you are free from the need to 00:18:43.720 --> 00:18:47.900 prove anything. Or to live to try to become anything. 00:18:48.880 --> 00:18:51.680 Because you simply live to be what you already 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:55.259 are. A child of God created in his image and 00:18:55.259 --> 00:18:58.680 his likeness. Created with authority to rule 00:18:58.680 --> 00:19:06.279 over creation. In the power of the spirit. So 00:19:06.279 --> 00:19:10.140 what did Jesus do? Hebrews. Tell us that these 00:19:10.140 --> 00:19:12.940 distorted identities. Exactly what Jesus came 00:19:12.940 --> 00:19:15.890 to address. And the symptoms that come with it, 00:19:16.009 --> 00:19:19.509 this sense of being unworthy, bitter, confused, 00:19:19.950 --> 00:19:26.609 inferior, all of it touched by the gospel. And 00:19:26.609 --> 00:19:31.329 you need to go to Hebrews chapter 2 to understand 00:19:31.329 --> 00:19:33.809 what Jesus accomplished because this is what 00:19:33.809 --> 00:19:38.789 it says. Since the children have flesh and blood, 00:19:38.910 --> 00:19:42.670 meaning they were humans, The children of God 00:19:42.670 --> 00:19:46.490 that he created. All of us were of this nature. 00:19:47.930 --> 00:19:53.029 Jesus too shared in their humanity so that by 00:19:53.029 --> 00:19:57.690 his death he might break the power of him who 00:19:57.690 --> 00:20:00.950 holds the power of death. And who is that person 00:20:00.950 --> 00:20:04.950 that has the power over these things? The devil. 00:20:06.859 --> 00:20:11.480 Jesus came to destroy the power of Satan over 00:20:11.480 --> 00:20:19.420 humanity. And free those who all their lives 00:20:19.420 --> 00:20:24.619 were held in slavery by the fear of death. For 00:20:24.619 --> 00:20:27.700 surely it is not angels that Jesus came to help. 00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:33.940 But Abram's descendants, for this reason, He 00:20:33.940 --> 00:20:40.259 had to be made like them. Humans like them. Fully 00:20:40.259 --> 00:20:47.240 human in every way. In order that he might become 00:20:47.240 --> 00:20:51.000 a merciful and faithful high priest in service 00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:54.700 to God. And that he might make atonement for 00:20:54.700 --> 00:20:59.400 the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered 00:20:59.400 --> 00:21:04.900 when he was tempted. So he is able to help those 00:21:04.900 --> 00:21:10.900 who are being tempted. And this is the end of 00:21:10.900 --> 00:21:16.059 this section. It tells us, look, from the beginning, 00:21:16.059 --> 00:21:20.740 when humans believed in the distortion and gave 00:21:20.740 --> 00:21:25.200 now authority to Satan into the created order 00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:28.839 that had been entrusted to them, Now, since that 00:21:28.839 --> 00:21:33.180 point on, Satan has had authority over the created 00:21:33.180 --> 00:21:37.339 order and humans have been subjugated to living 00:21:37.339 --> 00:21:42.140 in fear. Fear of death and fear of all these 00:21:42.140 --> 00:21:48.039 other things. So Jesus has to enter their domain 00:21:48.039 --> 00:21:51.079 to be able to destroy the power of Satan from 00:21:51.079 --> 00:21:57.609 within. And that's why. Jesus is born of a virgin 00:21:57.609 --> 00:22:01.230 and that's why he becomes flesh and blood like 00:22:01.230 --> 00:22:04.829 us because he had to enter our domain to be able 00:22:04.829 --> 00:22:07.289 to be like us to be able to break the power of 00:22:07.289 --> 00:22:10.529 Satan. And that's why in Christian theology, 00:22:10.769 --> 00:22:14.589 the doctrine of the incarnation, God becomes 00:22:14.589 --> 00:22:19.769 flesh, is essential. Without it, salvation does 00:22:19.769 --> 00:22:24.609 not work. That's why we believe, as the passage 00:22:24.609 --> 00:22:32.490 said, that Jesus was fully human. But not just 00:22:32.490 --> 00:22:43.440 fully human. Fully God. So what happens? is that 00:22:43.440 --> 00:22:47.140 Hebrews says that Jesus enters this domain as 00:22:47.140 --> 00:22:49.539 a human being to break the power of Satan so 00:22:49.539 --> 00:22:53.579 he can free the people from living in fear. And 00:22:53.579 --> 00:22:57.059 one of the things that he had to do in order 00:22:57.059 --> 00:23:00.000 to start breaking the power of Satan is that 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:05.000 he had to face Satan as a human being in the 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:09.440 moment of temptation. And at that moment of temptation, 00:23:10.639 --> 00:23:15.140 Jesus had to suffer through that space in order 00:23:15.140 --> 00:23:17.799 to break the power of Satan. And because he did, 00:23:17.940 --> 00:23:23.819 he now has the power to help those who were under 00:23:23.819 --> 00:23:28.920 that context before. And I love how this comes 00:23:28.920 --> 00:23:33.519 together. Because when we look at what Jesus 00:23:33.519 --> 00:23:41.890 did, at the temptation, something emerges. Okay, 00:23:42.009 --> 00:23:47.609 someone has to take a step back. Identity is 00:23:47.609 --> 00:23:51.609 not defined by me, it's defined by God who made 00:23:51.609 --> 00:23:56.049 me. And God said, you are my child created in 00:23:56.049 --> 00:23:58.450 my image and likeness with authority to rule 00:23:58.450 --> 00:24:05.470 over creation. That is who you are. But then 00:24:05.470 --> 00:24:09.640 Satan comes and says, no. That is not who you 00:24:09.640 --> 00:24:12.940 are, therefore do these things to try to prove 00:24:12.940 --> 00:24:17.799 that you are who you already are. And from that 00:24:17.799 --> 00:24:21.339 moment on, the distortion enters into place and 00:24:21.339 --> 00:24:26.779 establishes fear and gives power to Satan. Now 00:24:26.779 --> 00:24:30.200 Jesus comes into that picture to free us. He 00:24:30.200 --> 00:24:32.619 says, I have to become a human like you, but 00:24:32.619 --> 00:24:35.740 I have to break the power of Satan by confronting 00:24:35.740 --> 00:24:39.400 him at the temptation. And because I have been 00:24:39.400 --> 00:24:42.420 tempted, like all humans have, I have the power 00:24:42.420 --> 00:24:47.960 to help you now break fear and oppression from 00:24:47.960 --> 00:24:51.660 your life. So Jesus, how did you accomplish that? 00:24:51.900 --> 00:24:55.920 Show me, so that I can follow you well and walk 00:24:55.920 --> 00:25:00.660 in your freedom. And for that, we have to go 00:25:00.660 --> 00:25:04.700 to the beginning. Because Jesus will break the 00:25:04.700 --> 00:25:09.000 power of Satan over humanity. And that is where 00:25:09.000 --> 00:25:14.220 we go to Christmas again. The Bible says that 00:25:14.220 --> 00:25:18.180 when Jesus is announced, his birth is announced, 00:25:18.319 --> 00:25:23.240 his identity and his purpose is immediately established. 00:25:24.859 --> 00:25:29.059 And I remember that a few weeks ago, Pastor Jeff 00:25:29.059 --> 00:25:32.240 shared that passage with us as well, reminding 00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:37.299 us who Jesus is. You will conceive, the angel 00:25:37.299 --> 00:25:40.680 said to Mary, and give birth to a son, and you 00:25:40.680 --> 00:25:43.400 are to call him Jesus, which means God saves. 00:25:43.960 --> 00:25:46.819 And he will be great and will be called who? 00:25:48.700 --> 00:25:52.460 The son of the most high God. Identity, Jesus 00:25:52.460 --> 00:25:56.880 is the son of God. Secondly, the Lord God will 00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:59.579 give him the throne of his father David, and 00:25:59.579 --> 00:26:02.359 he will reign over Jacob's descendants for how 00:26:02.359 --> 00:26:07.119 long? Forever, his kingdom will never end. Who 00:26:07.119 --> 00:26:10.579 will give him authority on the throne to rule 00:26:10.579 --> 00:26:19.440 forever? His father, God. So from the beginning, 00:26:19.480 --> 00:26:24.119 establish clearly. Jesus, you are the son of 00:26:24.119 --> 00:26:27.339 God. You are coming here to gain the authority 00:26:27.339 --> 00:26:30.559 from Satan. You are going to be given the throne 00:26:30.559 --> 00:26:33.220 by God. And now you're going to rule forever. 00:26:35.859 --> 00:26:42.339 So then Jesus is born. He grows. And before he 00:26:42.339 --> 00:26:45.720 starts his ministry, he goes through his baptism. 00:26:46.279 --> 00:26:48.500 And when John the Baptist sees him, he says, 00:26:48.619 --> 00:26:53.470 Jesus. You don't need to be baptized. I don't 00:26:53.470 --> 00:26:55.430 need to baptize you. You need to baptize me. 00:26:55.690 --> 00:26:58.049 And Jesus said, I know, I know. Don't worry. 00:26:58.210 --> 00:27:00.630 Let's just get done with this because we need 00:27:00.630 --> 00:27:02.650 to fulfill all righteousness. So just baptize 00:27:02.650 --> 00:27:07.210 me. So at that moment, we are told when all the 00:27:07.210 --> 00:27:09.950 people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized 00:27:09.950 --> 00:27:14.690 too. And as he was praying, something happened. 00:27:14.829 --> 00:27:18.390 What happened as he was praying? The heaven was 00:27:18.390 --> 00:27:21.960 open. So imagine Jesus being baptized and suddenly 00:27:21.960 --> 00:27:25.180 it says the heaven was opened and something happened. 00:27:25.420 --> 00:27:28.880 The Holy Spirit descended on him in a bodily 00:27:28.880 --> 00:27:32.339 form like a dove and a voice came from heaven 00:27:32.339 --> 00:27:37.680 saying, let's read this together, you are my 00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:41.980 son whom I love. With you I am well pleased. 00:27:43.559 --> 00:27:47.279 Jesus is being baptized, the son of God who came 00:27:47.279 --> 00:27:50.339 to overcome the power of Satan and to establish 00:27:50.339 --> 00:27:55.579 all authority under his kingdom. And as he's 00:27:55.579 --> 00:27:58.660 being baptized, ready to begin his ministry, 00:27:58.839 --> 00:28:03.240 God the Father speaks and says, you are my son, 00:28:03.359 --> 00:28:10.599 you I love, and you I'm well pleased. And the 00:28:10.599 --> 00:28:14.799 baptism ends. You know what happens next? Right 00:28:14.799 --> 00:28:19.140 after Jesus gets baptized, Luke tells us the 00:28:19.140 --> 00:28:22.619 very following verse that Jesus is going to experience 00:28:22.619 --> 00:28:26.200 something. But here you have it. What is Jesus' 00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:29.380 identity? You are the son of God, fully human, 00:28:29.539 --> 00:28:35.400 fully God. Purpose? You're going to rule over 00:28:35.400 --> 00:28:39.420 creation in a kingdom that will never end. And 00:28:39.420 --> 00:28:44.859 what is your status? You're loved by God. So 00:28:44.859 --> 00:28:50.960 now Jesus is baptized, and he, Luke says, left 00:28:50.960 --> 00:28:55.140 the area where the Jordan River was, and he went 00:28:55.140 --> 00:29:01.740 into the desert to be tempted by Satan himself. 00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:06.680 It's like, rewind, just like at the beginning, 00:29:06.859 --> 00:29:10.240 now fast forward, and that's what it sounds like. 00:29:10.380 --> 00:29:13.730 You can try it at home if you want. And now, 00:29:13.930 --> 00:29:20.849 the same guy that duped first humans into this 00:29:20.849 --> 00:29:25.410 distortion and established power over them is 00:29:25.410 --> 00:29:30.150 going to try to do the same thing with Jesus. 00:29:31.650 --> 00:29:35.670 But Hebrews told us what happened. Because Jesus 00:29:35.670 --> 00:29:39.730 suffered temptation and overcame. He has the 00:29:39.730 --> 00:29:46.480 power to help us break. So what exactly happened? 00:29:49.259 --> 00:29:52.859 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan 00:29:52.859 --> 00:29:56.579 and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness 00:29:56.579 --> 00:30:01.660 where for 40 days he was tempted by the devil 00:30:01.660 --> 00:30:05.559 and he ate nothing during those days and at the 00:30:05.559 --> 00:30:11.720 end of them he was hungry. The Bible talks about 00:30:11.720 --> 00:30:15.039 40 days in a very mysterious way because it doesn't 00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:20.539 explain it to us. But Jesus came to redeem not 00:30:20.539 --> 00:30:23.960 just humanity, but the descendants of Abraham, 00:30:24.200 --> 00:30:30.259 the nation of Israel. And Israel had gone through 00:30:30.259 --> 00:30:34.640 40 years in the desert, years of disobedience 00:30:34.640 --> 00:30:40.839 and judgment. And now Jesus, And he's going to 00:30:40.839 --> 00:30:46.279 spend 40 days in the desert. So many people make 00:30:46.279 --> 00:30:48.640 that connection. The 40 days, the 40 years, there 00:30:48.640 --> 00:30:50.559 seems to be a parallel. Something is happening 00:30:50.559 --> 00:30:54.619 here. We don't really understand. But we know 00:30:54.619 --> 00:30:58.839 that Jesus was fasting for 40 days in the desert. 00:30:58.940 --> 00:31:03.619 And at the end of it, he becomes hungry. And 00:31:03.619 --> 00:31:07.460 that, at the point of vulnerability, is when 00:31:07.460 --> 00:31:13.180 Satan shows up. The devil said to him, if you 00:31:13.180 --> 00:31:17.759 are the son of God, tell this stone not to become 00:31:17.759 --> 00:31:27.019 red. It's like, what? Satan, do you know something 00:31:27.019 --> 00:31:29.539 I do not know or I know something you do not 00:31:29.539 --> 00:31:34.720 know? I'm confused because I just read the announcement 00:31:34.720 --> 00:31:38.160 of Jesus' birth and says he is the son of the 00:31:38.160 --> 00:31:41.859 most high God. And that God is going to give 00:31:41.859 --> 00:31:45.140 him the throne. And he was just baptized, you 00:31:45.140 --> 00:31:50.460 know, 41 days ago or so. And we just heard God 00:31:50.460 --> 00:31:53.859 talking and saying that Jesus is his beloved 00:31:53.859 --> 00:31:59.059 son. So I don't understand. Why are you telling 00:31:59.059 --> 00:32:04.420 Jesus if you are the son of God? As if he wasn't. 00:32:05.140 --> 00:32:07.660 He is the son of God. What are you talking about? 00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:14.539 Good thing that Jesus also knew that. Jesus answered, 00:32:14.700 --> 00:32:20.400 it is written, men shall not live on bread alone. 00:32:21.400 --> 00:32:24.920 And the devil led him up to a high place and 00:32:24.920 --> 00:32:27.640 showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of 00:32:27.640 --> 00:32:31.619 the world. And he said to him, I will give you 00:32:31.619 --> 00:32:35.640 all their authority and splendor it has been 00:32:35.640 --> 00:32:40.390 given to me. And I can give it to anyone I want 00:32:40.390 --> 00:32:45.049 to if you worship me. And it will all be yours. 00:32:49.509 --> 00:32:52.250 You don't have to go to the cross and die for 00:32:52.250 --> 00:32:56.589 people to gain all authority. I can give it to 00:32:56.589 --> 00:33:01.589 you. Just worship me. Because all this authority 00:33:01.589 --> 00:33:05.329 was given to me by the very people that were 00:33:05.329 --> 00:33:13.000 entrusted with it. Satan, do you know something 00:33:13.000 --> 00:33:14.880 I do not know or I know something you do not 00:33:14.880 --> 00:33:18.740 know? Because I just read at the beginning that 00:33:18.740 --> 00:33:22.420 when Jesus' announcement was given, it said very 00:33:22.420 --> 00:33:25.160 clearly that God his father was going to give 00:33:25.160 --> 00:33:27.200 him the throne of David and that Jesus was going 00:33:27.200 --> 00:33:32.480 to rule forever. Good thing that Jesus also knew 00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:36.500 that. Jesus answered, it is written, worship 00:33:36.500 --> 00:33:43.349 the Lord your God and serve him. I don't need 00:33:43.349 --> 00:33:46.369 to worship you to get the authority from you. 00:33:46.670 --> 00:33:49.410 Authority from you is nothing but slavery to 00:33:49.410 --> 00:33:57.769 fear. So no thank you. The devil led him to Jerusalem 00:33:57.769 --> 00:34:00.650 and had him stand on the highest point of the 00:34:00.650 --> 00:34:06.170 temple. If you are the son of God, he said, throw 00:34:06.170 --> 00:34:10.679 yourself down from here. Satan, do I have to 00:34:10.679 --> 00:34:15.280 say this again? What are you saying? If you are 00:34:15.280 --> 00:34:20.840 the son of God, he is the son of God. Are you 00:34:20.840 --> 00:34:24.340 wanting him to prove something to you? As if 00:34:24.340 --> 00:34:28.639 identity needs to be proven? There's nothing 00:34:28.639 --> 00:34:32.760 to prove. He is who he is because that's who 00:34:32.760 --> 00:34:40.170 he is. Good thing that Jesus knew that too. So 00:34:40.170 --> 00:34:44.289 Jesus is there, and Satan knows that Jesus is 00:34:44.289 --> 00:34:46.070 going to quote the Bible to him, so he quotes 00:34:46.070 --> 00:34:49.510 it first. Do this, Jesus, for it is written, 00:34:49.690 --> 00:34:53.210 he will command his angels concerning you to 00:34:53.210 --> 00:34:57.369 guard you carefully. They will lift you up in 00:34:57.369 --> 00:35:00.429 their hands so that you will not strike your 00:35:00.429 --> 00:35:05.110 foot against a stone. And Jesus answered, it 00:35:05.110 --> 00:35:10.530 is said, do not put. The Lord your God to the 00:35:10.530 --> 00:35:20.269 test. When I read this, I imagine Jesus coming 00:35:20.269 --> 00:35:24.670 to the third moment of this interaction to look 00:35:24.670 --> 00:35:31.210 as Satan says, Satan, haven't you read? It is 00:35:31.210 --> 00:35:39.929 written, do not put your Lord to the test. Because 00:35:39.929 --> 00:35:47.190 that is who he is. And at that moment, Satan 00:35:47.190 --> 00:35:51.630 shuts up. When the devil had finished all his 00:35:51.630 --> 00:35:56.010 tempting, he left him until an opportune time. 00:36:00.190 --> 00:36:04.389 And that is what Hebrews was telling us happened. 00:36:06.050 --> 00:36:11.630 Jesus was tempted by the devil. And because he 00:36:11.630 --> 00:36:14.710 was tempted directly, yet did not succumb to 00:36:14.710 --> 00:36:19.110 the power of Satan, he is able to break the power 00:36:19.110 --> 00:36:23.969 of Satan over humanity. And you could see it 00:36:23.969 --> 00:36:30.469 right there. Satan is old. But his techniques 00:36:30.469 --> 00:36:36.739 remain same old, same old. He's going to try 00:36:36.739 --> 00:36:42.860 to make you believe that you have to prove that 00:36:42.860 --> 00:36:51.099 you are who you already are. He did it with the 00:36:51.099 --> 00:36:53.920 first humans and duped them into it. He tried 00:36:53.920 --> 00:36:57.619 to do it with Jesus and he couldn't. Because 00:36:57.619 --> 00:37:01.300 at no moment, Jesus says, oh, maybe I'm not fully 00:37:01.300 --> 00:37:04.730 the son of God. Maybe I need to do something 00:37:04.730 --> 00:37:10.409 to really become the son of God. No. He knew 00:37:10.409 --> 00:37:14.110 what the father had said and he simply trusted 00:37:14.110 --> 00:37:21.070 it. The goal of Jesus was to come to break the 00:37:21.070 --> 00:37:25.690 power of Satan over creation. To break the power 00:37:25.690 --> 00:37:30.110 of fear that humans were enslaved to. And Hebrews 00:37:30.110 --> 00:37:32.889 says that one of the first things that he did 00:37:32.889 --> 00:37:36.610 was to break the power of Satan over identity. 00:37:37.510 --> 00:37:40.769 And because Jesus was able to break the power 00:37:40.769 --> 00:37:44.630 of Satan over identity, Jesus is able to break 00:37:44.630 --> 00:37:47.849 the power of distorted identities that you and 00:37:47.849 --> 00:37:55.469 I are still under. Identity, as it turns out, 00:37:55.489 --> 00:38:02.400 is at the core. of experiencing salvation. Because 00:38:02.400 --> 00:38:05.760 it's not just an issue of believing in Jesus 00:38:05.760 --> 00:38:08.300 and being forgiven and dying and going to heaven. 00:38:09.300 --> 00:38:17.039 But have you let the power of Jesus really redefine 00:38:17.039 --> 00:38:20.119 the way you think of who you are and therefore 00:38:20.119 --> 00:38:25.019 the way you live your life? Or are you still 00:38:25.019 --> 00:38:30.030 living From the perspective of distorted identity 00:38:30.030 --> 00:38:33.949 following Jesus. And therefore the way that you 00:38:33.949 --> 00:38:36.429 are living your life is characterized by the 00:38:36.429 --> 00:38:41.110 symptoms of this distortion. You are still living 00:38:41.110 --> 00:38:44.630 in fear. You are still living in shame. You are 00:38:44.630 --> 00:38:46.849 still feeling not good enough. You are still 00:38:46.849 --> 00:38:48.949 feeling you need to compare yourself to others. 00:38:49.070 --> 00:38:52.210 You still need to manipulate and push because 00:38:52.210 --> 00:38:56.130 you have. to prove that you are someone who is 00:38:56.130 --> 00:39:02.190 worth it. There's a point in our lives in following 00:39:02.190 --> 00:39:06.369 Jesus in which the gospel has to penetrate that 00:39:06.369 --> 00:39:10.710 deep part of our soul because that is what Jesus 00:39:10.710 --> 00:39:28.750 came to do. The way this works is just so sad. 00:39:31.010 --> 00:39:35.429 Satan has been opposing you, trying to oppress 00:39:35.429 --> 00:39:42.130 you since you were a little kid. And the first 00:39:42.130 --> 00:39:44.369 distortions that you acquired that are still 00:39:44.369 --> 00:39:47.789 following you today were established then when 00:39:47.789 --> 00:39:55.159 you were the most vulnerable. I worked with a 00:39:55.159 --> 00:39:57.780 designer once, a graphic designer who was very 00:39:57.780 --> 00:40:00.440 well accomplished. In fact, she owned her own 00:40:00.440 --> 00:40:06.199 company. And she was doing so well in her business. 00:40:09.019 --> 00:40:11.699 But something happened in her life that she could 00:40:11.699 --> 00:40:15.079 not shake off. She was an elementary student. 00:40:15.880 --> 00:40:18.519 I think she was maybe like in fifth grade or 00:40:18.519 --> 00:40:23.369 so. And she says that She came to the school 00:40:23.369 --> 00:40:26.989 that day and she did something wrong in her homework. 00:40:27.369 --> 00:40:29.869 So the teacher asked her to stand in front of 00:40:29.869 --> 00:40:33.829 everybody and in front of all the class. The 00:40:33.829 --> 00:40:40.409 teacher called her that she was stupid. And from 00:40:40.409 --> 00:40:46.150 that moment on, that identity attached to her 00:40:46.150 --> 00:40:52.099 heart. And she always felt That it didn't matter 00:40:52.099 --> 00:40:55.860 how well she did in her life, she was nothing 00:40:55.860 --> 00:40:58.380 but just a stupid woman trying to make it in 00:40:58.380 --> 00:41:06.940 life. I'm telling you, Satan is depicable, sneaky, 00:41:07.199 --> 00:41:25.920 evil. What did he make you? What did he lead 00:41:25.920 --> 00:41:36.179 you to think you are? Because whatever he made 00:41:36.179 --> 00:41:40.360 you believe you are, I'm here to tell you, you 00:41:40.360 --> 00:41:47.389 are not that. Let me tell you what I mean. Because 00:41:47.389 --> 00:41:49.949 in the privacy of counseling, shepherding people, 00:41:50.210 --> 00:41:53.269 I've seen certain things that seem to be patterns. 00:41:55.429 --> 00:41:58.130 The first one is the distortion that I am my 00:41:58.130 --> 00:42:01.909 past. I've done terrible things, Pastor Pablo, 00:42:02.010 --> 00:42:11.849 and I'm just so unworthy. If you struggle with 00:42:11.849 --> 00:42:14.670 a sense of unworthiness, it's not because you 00:42:14.670 --> 00:42:20.090 are unworthy. It's because you have not let the 00:42:20.090 --> 00:42:25.250 grace of Jesus reach that place. You are not 00:42:25.250 --> 00:42:31.849 your sin. Your sin and your identity are not 00:42:31.849 --> 00:42:36.130 the same. Think of it this way. If I start sneezing, 00:42:36.150 --> 00:42:42.590 and I start feeling sick, you will not say, I 00:42:42.590 --> 00:42:46.769 am the cold, would you? You will say, I have 00:42:46.769 --> 00:42:49.230 a cold. Because you know that those symptoms 00:42:49.230 --> 00:42:51.909 are a virus that are in you that are making you 00:42:51.909 --> 00:42:55.489 sick. But you know that you are not your virus. 00:42:56.570 --> 00:42:58.889 In the same way, I'm here to tell you, you are 00:42:58.889 --> 00:43:01.909 not your sin. Sin is a distortion, is the sickness 00:43:01.909 --> 00:43:05.650 of the soul. But you are not your sin. You are 00:43:05.650 --> 00:43:09.550 separate from it. And Jesus knows that. But do 00:43:09.550 --> 00:43:13.239 you know that? What Satan has done in your life 00:43:13.239 --> 00:43:16.019 is to make you believe that your failures and 00:43:16.019 --> 00:43:18.380 your sin are your identity and they are not. 00:43:19.500 --> 00:43:24.199 Jesus paid for all your sins. If you are a follower 00:43:24.199 --> 00:43:27.119 of Jesus, it's only redeemed a follower of Jesus, 00:43:27.219 --> 00:43:33.960 not unworthy followers of Jesus. So I'm here 00:43:33.960 --> 00:43:40.199 to invite you today to tell Jesus, would you 00:43:40.199 --> 00:43:45.139 let? your grace and power break this nagging 00:43:45.139 --> 00:43:48.340 feeling of unworthiness that I carry with me. 00:43:49.019 --> 00:43:52.179 And let me live in the power of your freedom. 00:43:54.840 --> 00:43:58.380 The second distortion is that I am a victim. 00:43:59.480 --> 00:44:03.440 I feel constantly that I'm struggling with bitterness 00:44:03.440 --> 00:44:10.079 because the things that were done to me Shouldn't 00:44:10.079 --> 00:44:13.000 have happened to me. And I feel that people have 00:44:13.000 --> 00:44:16.500 done me wrong. And therefore I live the rest 00:44:16.500 --> 00:44:25.539 of my life bitter. Because I am a victim. And 00:44:25.539 --> 00:44:28.719 this is often the case of people who have been 00:44:28.719 --> 00:44:34.639 harmed by the evil of sexual abuse and molestation. 00:44:39.400 --> 00:44:44.940 If you feel like you are a victim, I'm here to 00:44:44.940 --> 00:44:48.900 tell you, not only you are not your sin, and 00:44:48.900 --> 00:44:51.920 that is not your identity, but the sin of others 00:44:51.920 --> 00:44:56.659 is not your identity either. That is their sin, 00:44:56.860 --> 00:45:00.059 that is their action, and whatever they did to 00:45:00.059 --> 00:45:04.360 you is not who you are. And you will have to 00:45:04.360 --> 00:45:08.559 invite the grace of Jesus. Enter that place where 00:45:08.559 --> 00:45:11.599 it can flow through you. Where you can truly 00:45:11.599 --> 00:45:14.780 forgive the evil that they did to you. So that 00:45:14.780 --> 00:45:18.280 you no longer live your life as if your identity 00:45:18.280 --> 00:45:22.869 is a victim of what was done to you. There's 00:45:22.869 --> 00:45:25.550 only one type of follower of Jesus in the gospel, 00:45:25.690 --> 00:45:28.949 and that is redeemed followers of Jesus. Let 00:45:28.949 --> 00:45:32.329 the grace of Jesus free you from that bitterness. 00:45:35.510 --> 00:45:40.949 The third distortion is the person that thinks 00:45:40.949 --> 00:45:47.510 I am my feelings. And this idea that I am my 00:45:47.510 --> 00:45:53.420 feelings leads to a lot of confusion. And this 00:45:53.420 --> 00:45:57.579 sense of confusion changes here and there. Today 00:45:57.579 --> 00:46:00.119 you feel this, then you change. Then you feel 00:46:00.119 --> 00:46:03.320 that, and then you change. And this idea that 00:46:03.320 --> 00:46:07.820 I am my feelings has permeated a sector of society 00:46:07.820 --> 00:46:13.860 that often identify themselves based on sexual 00:46:13.860 --> 00:46:20.079 desires or feelings of gender identity. And feelings... 00:46:20.670 --> 00:46:26.449 Are never the ones to define your identity. Only 00:46:26.449 --> 00:46:31.630 God can define who you are. And he created you 00:46:31.630 --> 00:46:36.650 in his image. Not in your image. In his likeness. 00:46:37.010 --> 00:46:39.690 Not in the likeness of the feelings that you 00:46:39.690 --> 00:46:44.409 have today. So for those of you who are in that 00:46:44.409 --> 00:46:49.510 place of confusion. Jesus came to free you from 00:46:49.510 --> 00:46:53.730 that confusion. And I'm here to encourage you 00:46:53.730 --> 00:46:58.090 to invite the grace of Jesus to break from the 00:46:58.090 --> 00:47:02.949 power of unbelief that Satan has made you believe 00:47:02.949 --> 00:47:07.809 that you cannot trust what God has said, that 00:47:07.809 --> 00:47:10.369 you cannot trust who God made you, and instead 00:47:10.369 --> 00:47:13.369 you have to become that which you will never 00:47:13.369 --> 00:47:23.460 be. And finally, the other common distortion 00:47:23.460 --> 00:47:30.019 is that I am my position, my job, my salary. 00:47:33.480 --> 00:47:36.880 And when you believe that that's the case, you 00:47:36.880 --> 00:47:40.099 constantly will struggle with the sense of inferiority. 00:47:41.300 --> 00:47:45.579 You say, Pastor Paulo, that's not my case. Yeah, 00:47:45.639 --> 00:47:48.920 that's what you think today. Wait until you are 00:47:48.920 --> 00:47:53.639 demoted. Wait until your paycheck is reduced. 00:47:55.840 --> 00:48:00.179 Wait until you retire and you no longer have 00:48:00.179 --> 00:48:02.579 the position and the title and the key to the 00:48:02.579 --> 00:48:06.780 office. Wait until you lose your job and you're 00:48:06.780 --> 00:48:08.900 looking for a job for a whole year and now one 00:48:08.900 --> 00:48:13.719 wants to hire you. It's in those moments that 00:48:13.719 --> 00:48:17.260 you start realizing That you're struggling with 00:48:17.260 --> 00:48:21.199 identity. Because fear and shame. Inferiority. 00:48:21.199 --> 00:48:25.239 A sense of hopelessness takes over. And I'm here 00:48:25.239 --> 00:48:27.760 to remind you. Especially if you're in a time 00:48:27.760 --> 00:48:33.760 of waiting. You are not your job. You are not 00:48:33.760 --> 00:48:38.860 your title. You are not your paycheck. You are 00:48:38.860 --> 00:48:42.960 a child of God following Jesus and he has called 00:48:42.960 --> 00:48:45.219 you to serve him and he's going to position you 00:48:45.219 --> 00:48:48.579 here today, position you there tomorrow. Titles 00:48:48.579 --> 00:48:51.860 in the kingdom do not matter and paychecks and 00:48:51.860 --> 00:48:55.159 size of paychecks do not matter. The only thing 00:48:55.159 --> 00:48:57.360 that matters is that you're a child of God and 00:48:57.360 --> 00:49:03.300 that you walk in obedience with Jesus. Because 00:49:03.300 --> 00:49:12.570 he ultimately Is your identity. Do these distortions 00:49:12.570 --> 00:49:21.110 sound. Too familiar. If these distortions are 00:49:21.110 --> 00:49:24.269 familiar to you. I'm glad. That you were here 00:49:24.269 --> 00:49:32.050 today. Because Jesus. Came. To free you. And 00:49:32.050 --> 00:49:35.349 I pray. That today. You are able to tell the 00:49:35.349 --> 00:49:39.920 Lord Jesus. Jesus, break the stronghold that 00:49:39.920 --> 00:49:44.500 Satan has gotten over my life. Help me see myself 00:49:44.500 --> 00:49:49.739 for whom I truly am. And I'm going to invite 00:49:49.739 --> 00:49:55.119 you to read these words of 2 Corinthians chapter 00:49:55.119 --> 00:50:01.320 5. Let's read it together. Therefore, if anyone 00:50:01.320 --> 00:50:05.960 is in Christ, the new creation has come. The 00:50:05.960 --> 00:50:11.059 old has gone. The new is here. All this is from 00:50:11.059 --> 00:50:15.159 God who reconciled us to himself through Christ. 00:50:15.320 --> 00:50:18.619 And gave us this ministry of reconciliation. 00:50:19.239 --> 00:50:23.139 That God was reconciling the world to himself 00:50:23.139 --> 00:50:27.320 in Christ. Not counting people's sins against 00:50:27.320 --> 00:50:31.260 them. And he has committed to us the message 00:50:31.260 --> 00:50:35.869 of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's 00:50:35.869 --> 00:50:39.630 ambassadors. As though God were making his appeal 00:50:39.630 --> 00:50:43.369 through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf. 00:50:43.650 --> 00:50:54.250 Be reconciled to God. Be reconciled to God. Because 00:50:54.250 --> 00:51:02.170 Jesus already paid for your victory. Now live 00:51:02.170 --> 00:51:09.719 in it. God made him, Jesus, who had no sin and 00:51:09.719 --> 00:51:14.239 overcame the power of Satan and temptation. Jesus, 00:51:14.340 --> 00:51:20.219 to be sin for us so that in him we might become 00:51:20.219 --> 00:51:26.159 the righteousness of God. That is what he has 00:51:26.159 --> 00:51:38.579 called us to be. Lord, Three little words. But 00:51:38.579 --> 00:51:49.099 they cut so deep. Who are you? Lord I ask you 00:51:49.099 --> 00:51:52.659 in Jesus name. That you give us the clarity and 00:51:52.659 --> 00:51:56.239 the power. To answer that question truthfully. 00:51:57.500 --> 00:52:01.079 Because you already answered it for us. Let our 00:52:01.079 --> 00:52:04.280 hearts and our souls agree with you. In Jesus 00:52:04.280 --> 00:52:15.280 name. Thank you for tuning in to the ECB Sermon 00:52:15.280 --> 00:52:19.159 Podcast. Whether near or far, if you are looking 00:52:19.159 --> 00:52:22.920 for community or are in need of prayer, we welcome 00:52:22.920 --> 00:52:29.920 you to engage by sending us an email to If God 00:52:29.920 --> 00:52:32.699 is calling you to support our ministries, you 00:52:32.699 --> 00:52:36.340 will find giving options on our website. And 00:52:36.340 --> 00:52:39.400 remember to join us next week. God bless you.