Who I am In Christ 2 Knowing God

Who I am In Christ Part 2: Knowing God

Bible readings:Exodus 19:9-19,20:18-21 Page 54John 14:1-14 Page 764

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Wednesday, 15 July 2015

• If someone asks you to pray for them, do you feel unsure about praying?

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Making Sure of your identity in Christ.



• If you sense that there is some sort evil spirit in your house, do you feel you lack the confidence to command it to go?

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• If you sense that there is some sort evil spirit in your house, do you feel you lack the confidence to command it to go?

• Do you feel as though you are unworthy to ask God for something?

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• Do you find it hard to accept that God has forgiven you?

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• Do you think of yourself as a sinner who is always falling short of the sort of person God expects you to be?

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• Do you think of yourself as a sinner who is always falling short of the sort of person God expects you to be?

• Do you find it hard to think of yourself as a holy person, a saint?

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Every believer in Jesus is a new creation in Christ• “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new

creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV)

We are chosen and holy and loved by God in Christ

• “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tender hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” (Colossians 3:12, NLT)

We are God's children in Christ

• And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6, NLT)

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Many have difficulty in accepting who they are in Christ. Why?

• Because of what has happened to us in our lives.

• Past negative and unhappy experiences make it hard for us to accept who we are in Christ.

How do I overcome the negative ideas I believe unconsciously about myself?

• I need to start seeing myself as God our Father sees me.

People have a twisted picture of what God is like.

• Therefore they have a false picture of what He thinks about them.

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The Reality of Who God is

The lens of our past

experiences The image of God we have in our

minds


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Loving and CaringGood and Merciful

Steadfast and Trustworthy

With Unconditional Grace

Present and Always Available

Giver of Good Gifts

Nurturing and AffirmingAccepting

Fair and Just

The Truth of What God is Like.


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minds



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hateful and unconcernedmean and unforgiving

unpredictable and untrustworthywith conditional approval

absent when neededtakes away fun - a "kill joy"

critical and unpleasablerejecting

unfair and unjust

The image of

God some people have in their minds


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minds



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Ignorance of GodFalse teaching

Lies from the enemy

Bad relationships during childhood

Bad role-models of authority figures especially parents


experiences


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The lens of our past experiences

The image of God we have in our minds

The first step in knowing who we are in Christ is knowing the truth of what God is really like.



• The people were filled with fear and they begged Moses to talk to God on their behalf:

• “When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear. And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!” “Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”” (Exodus 20:18–20, NLT)

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Personally knowing God


Moses was not afraid because he knew God.

• “So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.” (Exodus 33:11, NKJV)

• So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.” And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.” (Exodus 33:17–18, NKJV)

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How did Moses get to know God so well?

• Through a process of revelation and conversation.

• It began in Exodus 3 when God suddenly made Himself known to him:

• “So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.” (Exodus 3:4–6, NKJV)

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• At this very beginning Moses was afraid to even look at the revelation of God's presence.

• Moses got to know God better through revelation and conversation.

• Moses talked with God.

• Moses listened to God.

• He experienced the way the Lord worked through him and through others.

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Application for Today

• Everyone who now believes in Jesus as the Son of God can point to some sort of experience in which they came to know the love and presence of God for them.

• It can be a sudden revelation, or a slow and gradual revelation that unfolds over months or even years.

• If you don't think you have had any sort of revelation, ask!

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• The key to discovering the truth about God is a desire to know God.

• Non-believers’ desire to know God can come from your prayers for them and the testimony of the believers they come across.

• The testimony not just of words but of lives lived that make knowing God attractive and desirable.

• Jesus attracted people because of what He said and what He did. This made people seek to know Him better.

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• None of us should ever stop desiring to know more of God.

• Never be content with what you already know about Him.

• The more you know God the more you will want to know Him.

• There is always more to know of God.

• The people who know most about God come to realise they know so little of the infinite unending nature of God.

• The better you know God the better you will understand how He sees you in Christ.

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Spiritual

Who I am In Christ 2 Knowing God