Who Am I? [Part 2]

Pastor, author and Bible teacher Alan Wright there is an intense attraction to the wall all by superficial unsatisfying way, who's in that's Pastor Alan Wright welcome to another message of good views that will help you see your life will Dingell Britt excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series. Galatea is presented at renewal the church in North Carolina not able to stay with us throughout the entire program I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month made to Alan Wright Ministries so as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today special offer.

Contact us Pastor Alan.org@pastor.org or call 877-544-4860 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program. Now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright. That blessing is the blessing that was promised to Abraham that you would have your name made great and you would be a blessing that you would be included in the family of God and what Paul is saying everywhere in Galatians is this came not by your works but by the promise of God. What I'm saying beloved, to put it plainly, if you are attracted to the law, it is because your insecure and your justification. It was playing upon insecurity in the Galatian Christian hearts for a Judaizers to say yes. You need Jesus that you also need to be circumcised. In other words the devil wants to introduce a question about the certain an assurance that you have of who you are and how you belong forever to God, but what God said to Abram over and over in Genesis is I want you to know for sure any kind of covenant with him. The covenant of God that he cut with Abraham, was a unilateral promise from God. He didn't want Abraham ever doubting who he really was. This goes far to explain why Paul not only here in Galatians, but throughout most of his epistles is found saying things like, I pray that the eyes of your heart would be enlightened so you could see how much God loves you so you can see your glorious inheritance in the St. you know you really are so that you would note the glorious great incomparable power of God is at work within you. I prayed that you would know that which surpasses knowledge. He says it is that you would know the love of God when he said if I wanted to know for sure is your love that you accepted Jesus Christ by no means but by faith alone accepted believe it is because when you believe it when you accepted change everything about who you are, you really relate to God, you will fulfill your destiny in the wild. And this is what we have.

We have to say with Paul to any mixture of law is our gospel. You start mixing the law into our gospel did you not only create a dividing wall of hostility you are training people to doubt their own salvation doubt their own justification, but the power of the gospel is released when you realize that through Christ alone.

You are justified just as if I hadn't said, and is just as if I lived a meritorious life.

When you see this deeply, profoundly. This is when you know you are accepted.

If there's one that I yearning to give as I meditate on Galatians 328 Lord, that we could have our eyes open so that we could see more deeply than ever before. How radically we have been accepted through Jesus Christ. People that know that they are accepted don't need stars on their bellies. They don't need black tape on the nose, the desperate need to know who I am and where I belong is the thing that the enemy uses that leads to the sometimes subtle and sometimes blatant practice of exclusion based on external matters of conformity, racism is essentially a protective sand designed to make me feel like I have an identity and that I belong is based on the fact that I have determined that you do not belong.

Your sense of belonging and who you are is in no way tied up with somebody else. Your sense of belonging and who you are is in every way guaranteed by what Jesus is done for you.

That's why we live radically different lives is not to say that Paul is erasing distinctives. The Bible celebrates our distinctives don't think Galatians 328 is to say that it doesn't matter whether were male or female gender that we have no distinct I'm glad he made us male and female. I miss David Smith is our music is over long time. He and Tom was, part of know people in the draw icebreaker thing sitting around a pool of some resort or something. Hello Damien we put a name on your back, you don't know what the name is there some famous person you get to go ask yes or no questions of ever other people so you can try to figure out who you are going to try. Who am I and you garnets and it's a mixer to icebreaker thing and they were Smitty is always hamster light is having to doubt suspicious and so he goes over to a man who sitting next the pony schism. I am man or woman, and he said the man looked on funny and then they were made worse by saying you're not playing this game. Are you about. There is no male or female in the sins that were all the same and we should be gender neutral. What he's saying is that the distinctiveness of our life is celebrated in unity, not in uniformity what the New Testament celebrates about the body or crisis were so different we are in Christ, Lori's world shaking revolutionary bowls and audacious as the gospel. It took to try to go a little deeper.

What I mean by how law and grace affect our sense of ourselves as either a percentage is turn your calls it when we just relate on the basis of outward conformity or a person who knows his or her identity is to say that that the freedom that Grace brings is a freedom to know that your accepted through Christ's sacrifice and that therefore you can accept yourself and therefore you can accept a destiny, and therefore you can accept others as well. Theologian Paul Tillich was not by any means Orthodox theologian, not one that I would recommend you build your theology on but all truth is God's truth and what Tillich wrote here is profound. As long as we feel rejected by him.

We cannot love God. He appears to us as an oppressive power is he who gives laws according to his pleasure who judges according to his commandments who condemns according to his wrath, but if we have received and accept the message that he is reconciled. Everything changes like a fiery stream.

His healing power enters into us. Everything changes like a fiery stream. His healing power enters in the us. We can affirm him and with him our own being and the others from whom we were strange and life as a whole then we realize that his love is the law of our own being and that is the law of reuniting love. He continues by writing this. He who is accepted ultimately can also accept himself being forgiven and being able to accept oneself, or one in the same thing. No one except himself, who do not feel that is accepted by the power of acceptance which is greater than he greater than his friends and counselors and psychological help is what Tillich is saying that there is a process that takes place when the gospel is revealed to our hearts and we believe and receive it in faith. When you see that through Jesus Christ, you are no longer estranged from God better reconciled to him perfectly. You might still stumble, stumble, and sin. You are not yet perfected, you are being sanctified. You are growing in his likeness, but in terms of your relationship with God is your father what the Bible clearly teaches, you are guaranteed through your faith alone in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ dying for you and accepting that for your life. You are made into a perfect reconciliation with God, you are not perfected, but your relationship with God has no doubt upon it whatsoever and that truth of your acceptance by God is forever is forever is forever. As you grow older you just like a kid getting closer to Christmas day it just going to get better and you're guaranteed this by deposit who is the Holy Spirit within you, showing you you're a child of God. The spiritual battle that is at hand. Even at this moment is a battle for our minds whether we will believe this astounding gospel truth.

You are God's treasured possession forever.

Who are you you are the sons and daughters of God is so astounding that almost beggars. Our belief, but when you accept this truth in Jesus Christ. Then and only then Tillich is saying you can accept yourself. You will forever be rejecting yourself hurting yourself or sabotaging yourself if you believe that you are not fully reconciled. You will be drawn to the law and the law will always be a taskmaster will always be a prison guard in some way or another you will try outwardly to conform to some standard to make yourself fit in and know that your belonging, but the Christian gospel does not need any law mixed into it whereby we identify who's in and who's out. We have one way of knowing that we belong and is the cross of Jesus Christ and his grace saved by faith and by faith alone, and there's nothing else we can ever add to it. You when you trust Christ are accepted in the challenge right will have more teaching moment. Today's important series an option for 99 days in a row.

Someone tells you, I love you my letter for site when you feel cherished. The what would happen if I'm hundreds day that same person. Sad that Shayna got enough for me to measure. I found the Colletti anymore.

When that one day contaminate the meaning of the other 90 days when 1% of conditional love poison. The other 99% will just 1% of lies enough to spoil grace blocking introducing unlimited capacity for fear if I don't measure up. When my heavy rejected when the Judaizers infiltrated the Galatian church.

They pass Apollo is outraged and read a letter that describes the essence of the gospel of grace and why it must not be mixed with any form of Alan Reitz 12 message idea series trumpets the power of the gospel in order to set you free, and power you share grace. It's called Galatians and asked the gospel discover the purity and power the grace of God. When you make your gift to Alan Wright Ministries today since you pastor's message is an attractive CD album with your digital download as our way of saying thanks for your partnership and we are in our final days of offering the special product. Call us at 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor Rowan.like today's teaching now continues here once again is Alan writing you are brand-new. And now you're parented your father by a father who knows how to father perfectly. Who loves you perfectly good steps you in every moment knowing all your sin in the past, all your sin in the future that all you sent in that moment, but sees you through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ fully redeemed you have been reconciled with him. Your father and you are made new.

This is part of the image.

Paul is referring to is is you put on Christ. You you your image of baptisms you come out and they put a new robe on you. They put new thing your your new now you got a new identity. You got a hold of me here in Christ law. Christ Got a father who loves you perfectly did not let him love you let them teacher and let them tell you who you really are. Hallelujah it is a mysterious tie that holds us together with God and with one another in the body of Christ.

We had fun time at Anne's mother's family, your union, the Bennett clan was together Friday and Saturday. They always are.

After 4 July we dump in the mountains and it was fun to see everybody. It is as I'm usually out playing with the kids or some deer in the family meeting, but this year I was at the family meet family meeting thereby goes around matriarchy. Patriarchs tell about what's going on in their family and what people done where the grandchildren are and who's doing what and we got we got we got half the matriarch and patriarch of the family are in heaven now we have some clue my mother-in-law couldn't be there so so Bill is there. He's 90 is not easily wants to be 100 is Avon Mary Bill Barber 67 years. Maybe still get along okay on that one leg. He never complained about that and he he was a pilot in the war.

His his girls their family.

They gave us a report however buys doing and that he was there. Douglas was told his eyes telling his story how it was that he many years ago got into college and into high school football game.

The coach at Swansea hi South Carolina, many state championships impact a lot of kids lives. Doug Bennett.

We talked a little football you was interesting. He's got a grand son who's playing football, Stanford's one quarterbacks… Daughter talk about Stanford football. Good thing about that tramp about get the inside scoop on the quarterbacking at Stanford and got to a couple preachers and the family got funeral director. We are cousins all over the place. I only know who these people coming. What is a cousin first remove second with only know who all we know is it one way or another, all benefits and that my son Bennett posted on his Facebook he said them. Go to the Bennett family reunion and he said yes they name the whole family after me.

I don't know. It's just beautiful things sometimes just when there's so many different people that are so different in so many ways but to get an moment like that in your gathered and is only one reason, and that's because we all one way or another by blood or by marriage or adoption. We share the name Bennett swallow church stock is rolled same Colbert one name Jesus Christ is the place for family where we we don't do it perfectly, but we proclaim the grace of God. Every moment we we open our mouths, we want to proclaim there's acceptance in the beloved. Through Jesus Christ. So be the radically different. The men and women be from different socioeconomic pathways be different nationalities in different colors of skin. Please be distinct be all these things and be one and Christ system extraordinary thing that happens you get a chance to be born again and have since spiritually speaking your childhood all over again. And that means you get to hear God tell you who you are. Who are you book of Revelation says your radiant bride Matthew five to July the world second Corinthians is your treasure in earthen vessel near the sun. It was lost and now found Luke 15. Who are you once were no people, but now are God's people.

Romans nine if you're if you're in Christ, then your chosen one, blessed with every spiritual blessing you were known in the womb. You are fearfully and wonderfully made your clay and the potter's hands are the seed of a grapefruit tree. First Peter 123 you're blessed with every spiritual blessing Ephesians 1 the salt of the earth.

Matthew five your brother or sister to Christ. What Ephesians says you have the mind of Christ for strength and says it your as witnesses, you're free. You're Abraham's offspring, your disciple of Christ. Your sheep in Christ flock. Your branch is only true vine.

Your washed wider than snow you are his holy temple your God's co-laborer, your overflowing cup.

You're rich in every way, your Christ body, your royal priesthood, your holy nation, his strength is perfected in you.

You have the wings of an eagle your daughter, your son of the father. You don't need a star on your belly you don't need a piece of black tape on your nose.

You don't need to keep a certain law look a certain way or prove anything to anybody in Christ. You're all one your heirs, sons and daughters and NASA gospel Helen running you're listening to shearing the light there's some identifying right now in a big way with this message and really hear more of it as we conclude this teaching on our next broadcast, but Allen is in the studio and back in a moment with additional insight on who am I teaching for today in our series on Galatians or final word is coming up next blessing your life, discover God's grace filled vision for your life by signing rights, free daily last grace and encouragement. Allen writes a daily blessing. It's free. Just a click away. Pastor I got away an option for 99 days in a row. Someone tells you, I love you, never for sake.

When you feel cherished. But what would happen if I'm hundred day that same person said that Shayna got enough for me to measure abound think I love you anymore. When that one day contaminate the meaning of the other 90 days when 1% of conditional love poison. The other 99% will just 1% of lies enough to spoil grace flock in introducing unlimited capacity for fear if I don't measure up.

When my having rejected when the Judaizers infiltrated the Galatian church, the apostle policy outraged and read a letter that describes the essence of the gospel of grace and why it must not be mixed with any form of Allen writes 12 message idea series trumpets the power of the gospel in order to set you free.

And probably you here. Grace called Galatians and asked the gospel discover the purity and power the grace of God. When you make your gift to Allen Wright ministries today will send you pastor outlines messages in an attractive CD album with your digital download as our way of saying thanks for your partnership. We are in our final days of offering the special product. Call us at 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor out and got work in the series Galatians and we've come through another teaching the talked about our Declaration of Independence. It really is about finding our identity in Christ and in this is an unmixed gospel untainted good news and once we get these things lined up that we can really see who we are, through the lens of Jesus the way God sees us while seeing yourself as God sees you to know and I and I just think that's so much of our spiritual growth is day by day.

Increasingly disbelieving what has actually been transacted on your behalf through the cross and resurrection of Jesus, and to really really receive and believe what God said is better than we know and keeps bit better every and every day, and the revelation of the gospel. Someone's listening right now and they see themselves based on their past failures in their mistakes and they even called themselves that I I'm the mistake I'm a failure. I'm a nobody. We really just pray this message sinks way down deep. There's yeah that's my prayer today for anyone who's anyone anyone listening and your identity has been formed by what influential people have said the messages of the culture and your inner process right now of God correcting that identity and bring it into agreement with who you really are and you really are.

As soon as you accept Christ. You really are. His trial a furious child you really are who we are with Christ himself.

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