Sunday Sermon Summary....."Identity Theft"

Pastor Ken started a new sermon series yesterday entitled "Identity Theft". He began the sermon with a short story. He and his wife had been driving down the road the day before. As they came upon a red light, they noticed that the car in front of them had one of the Christian fish symbols on it; so he said we knew they were Christians. Then they noticed a bumper sticker on the opposite side of the rear of the car. He said he was trying to read it, but he really couldn't believe what he thought it said (since they had the Christian fish on the other side of the rear of their car); so he pulled a little closer to read it. When he and his wife read the sticker, they both looked at each other with perplexity and confusion and shock. Ken wouldn't even tell us, in church, what the sticker said; because it was not appropriate and definitely not Christian. Then he asked the following quesiton....What is identity? He answered it this way....We are given identity by God. He made us each unique and distinct. How we are distinctly and uniquely made by God is a gift. We are children of God. I am a child of God.
Then Ken read the following scripture....Psalms 139:14
14I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a](A) Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
God made us!!!!
John 3:16
16"For(A) God so loved(B) the world,[a](C) that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not(D) perish but have eternal life.
God loves us!!!!
Romans 8:16
16(A) The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
God wants us to be part of His family!!!!
It says it right there in The Bible.....God made us (Psalms 139:14), God loves us (John 3:16), God wants us to be part of His family (Romans 8:16).
Ken then went on to explain that if we are christian, we need to be Christ like. In other words, we don't change who we are behind closed doors or depending upon who we are keeping company with; we are who God intended us to be at all times. We are that distinct and unique person that He made, loves and wants to be in relationship with ALWAYS! This statement really made me think about my actions....Do I act the same way in every circumstance? Do I need to try to be how God intended me to be around certain people that I may tend to act differently around? Do I need to be more Christ like with my children? Ken said, none of this is about us. It's about God. The moment you start thinking this is all about you, you lose your identity. In The Bible, when God changes someone's name; it's because they are changed. It changes their identity....the identity that He gave them....Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel. He might not change your name, but He still wants you to fulfill your identity. Be what He intended you to be in all circumstances.....to be christian is to be Christ like. Being like Christ.....those are hard shoes to fill, and we will never be perfect like Jesus; but I think Ken's point was that we should strive to be Christ like.....we should accept our identity, our gift, with gratitude and live our lives for Him.
In the following story about Daniel, we see that Daniel remains the same no matter where he is or no matter what challenges, temptations or circumstances he is faced with.... Daniel 1:8-17
8But Daniel(A) resolved that he would not(B) defile himself with(C) the king’s food, or with(D) the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. 9(E) And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, 10and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, "I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king." 11Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12"Test your servants for(F) ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat(G) the king’s food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see." 14So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. 15At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate(H) the king’s food. 16(I) So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them(J) vegetables.
17As for these four youths,(K) God gave them learning and(L) skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had(M) understanding in all visions and dreams.
To eat this wonderful food that was laid before them, would break the Jewish food laws. The food laws held them together socially, and they were extremely important. Although the delightful variety of royal foods were available and offered to Daniel, he does not "defile" his beliefs by temptation. He remains true to his identity.
Ken closed with the following.....If people know you're a christian, act like a Christian in all circumstances. Does your life have 2 different bumper stickers? The next time, I lose my temper, start to gossip, place a jugdement on someone; I'll think of Daniel and how he held true to his identity.....the gift that God gives us. I want my life to have the one and only bumper sticker, the one that shows that I am Christian and striving to be Christ like.