VERSE MATTHEW 11:6
AND TELL HIM GOD BLESSES THOSE WHO DO NOT TURN AWAY BECAUSE OF ME.
THE VERSES PRIOR TO THIS ONE TALK ABOUT HOW JOHN THE BAPTIST, WHO
AT THE TIME WAS IMPRISONED BY HEROD, SENT TWO OF HIS DISCIPLES TO ASK JESUS
“ARE YOU THE COMING ONE, OR DO WE LOOK FOR ANOTHER?”
JOHN KNEW WHO JESUS WAS. HE HAD PREACHED ABOUT HIM IN THE DESERT
AND WHILE HE BAPTIZED JESUS HIMSELF, GOD THE FATHER CONFIRMED THAT HE WAS THE CHRIST. BUT NOW HE IS ABOUT TO DIE.
AT THIS PARTICULAR MOMENT, JOHN HAD FORGOTTEN HIS IDENTITY. FOR A MOMENT HE FORGOT WHO HE WAS AND WHO HE
SERVED. AT THAT MOMENT HE NEEDED TO KNOW
THAT IF EVERYTHING HE BELIEVED WAS REAL.
IF THE LIFE HE LIVED WAS A WORTH THE PRICE HE WAS ABOUT TO PAY. JESUS ANSWER TO HIM CONFIRMS EVERYTHING HE
BELIEVES BUT THE LAST SENTENCE MAY SEEM A LITTLE STRANGE.
I’M SURE JOHN’S DISCIPLES DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WHAT JESUS MEANT WHEN
HE SAID THAT, BUT WHEN JOHN HEARD IT, HE UNDERSTOOD. JESUS KNEW THAT JOHN WOULD DIE SOON AND HIS
ANSWER TOLD JOHN DON’T STOP BELIEVING, DON’T STOP TRUSTING GOD, THAT EVERYTHING
GOD HAD REVEALED TO HIM WAS TRUE EVEN THOUGH AT THAT MOMENT HE HAD FORGOTTEN
HIS IDENTITY. EVEN THOUGH AT THAT MOMENT
TO HIM IT DIDN’T SEEM THAT WAY. HE WAS
HAVING AN IDENTITY CRISIS.
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH OUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST YOU MAY ASK?
JOHN WAS A PROPHET OF GOD. A MAN WHO HAD FOUND HIS IDENTITY IN CHRIST AT
A VERY EARLY AGE. JOHN HAD NOT PLACED HIS
TRUST OR FAITH IN ANYTHING OF THIS WORLD.
HIS IDENTITY WAS SEALED IN JESUS. AND THOUGH HE WAS HAVING AN IDENTITY CRISIS,
JESUS REMINDED HIM WHO HE WAS.
YOU SEE THE ENEMY WANTED JOHN TO DOUBT HIS MINISTRY, TO DOUBT
EVERYTHING HE HAD LIVED FOR AND BELIEVED. HE WANTED JOHN TO BELIEVE THAT HE HAD WASTED
HIS TIME FASTING AND PRAYING IN THE DESERT, THAT HE HAD WASTED HIS TIME
PREACHING REPENTANCE FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, THAT HE HAD WASTED HIS TIME
BELIEVING THE MESSIAH LIVED AMONG THEM.
AH BUT JESUS IS ALWAYS ON TIME AND NEVER LATE. HE REMINDED JOHN ABOUT WHAT HE PREACHED AND
HOW IT WAS COMING TO PASS! THE DEAF
HEAR, THE LAME WALK, THE MUTE SPEAK, THE SICK ARE HEALED AND THE GOSPEL IS
BEING PREACHED TO THE POOR. BUT HIS LAST
SENTENCE DIDN’T SEEM TO MAKE SENSE TO THE MESSENGERS DELIVERING THE MESSAGE TO
JOHN. BECAUSE IT WAS FOR JOHN AT THE
TIME AND TODAY IT IS FOR US IF WE
ARE GOING THROUGH SOME KIND OF IDENTITY CRISIS.
WHEN WE KNOW WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST, HE IS NOT OFFENSIVE TO US, HIS
WORD IS NOT OFFENSIVE TO US, AND THE CROSS IS NOT OFFENSIVE TO US.
IN THE WORLD AND EVEN IN THE CHURCH, PEOPLE BASE THEIR IDENTITIES
IN WHAT THEY DO, OR WHO THEY ARE, HOW SUCCESSFUL THEY ARE OR HOW POPULAR THEY
ARE OR HOW MUCH THEY KNOW. FOR EXAMPLE
PEOPLE BASE THEIR IDENTITY ON THEIR ROLE AS A SPOUSE, OR PARENT. THEY BASE THEIR IDENTITIES ON HOW SUCCESSFUL
THEY ARE AT WORK OR SCHOOL. BUT WHAT
HAPPENS WHEN THE SPOUSE IS GONE, THE CHILDREN ARE GONE, THE JOB IS GONE, THERE
IS NO HIGHER EDUCATION THAN WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE? WHO
ARE YOU THEN?
AS CHRISTIANS, THE ENEMY WANTS US TO FALL INTO THE TRAP OF
DEFININING OURSELVES BY ALL OF THESE THINGS MENTIONED. FOR SOME OF US HE WOULD WANT US TO DEFINE
OURSELVES BY WHO WE USED TO BE AND WHAT WE USED TO DO. WE MAY LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND NOT LIKE WHAT
WE SEE AND IF WE HAVE ACCEPTED THE LIES OF THE ENEMY AS TRUTH, THEN WE WILL BE
OFFENDED BY CHRIST, WE WILL BE OFFENDED BY HIS WORD, WE WILL BE OFFENDED BY THE
CROSS.
WE MUST KNOW WHO OUR ENEMY IS AND HIS TACTICS. HOW HE TAKES ADVANTAGE OF OUR SITUATIONS TO
TRY TO ROB OF US OF OUR JOY, STEAL OUR PEACE AND DESTROY GOD’S PURPOSE FOR OUR
LIVES. THAT’S HIS PLAN.
BUT JUST LIKE JESUS REMINDED JOHN WHO HE WAS IN
CHRIST, SO JESUS REMINDS US WHO WE ARE IN HIM. IN CASE YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN YOUR IDENTITY, LET
ME REMIND YOU.
YOU ARE CHOSEN BY GOD, YOU ARE LOVED BY GOD, ROMANS 8:37 SAYS YOU
ARE MORE THAN A CONQUEROR THROUGH CHRIST WHO LOVED YOU. PHILIPPIANS 4:13 SAYS YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS
THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS YOU. 1
PETER 2:9 SAYS YOU ARE A CHOSEN GENERATION, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION,
HIS OWN SPECIAL PEOPLE THAT YOU MAY PROCLAIM THE PRAISES OF HIM WHO CALLED YOU
OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 SAYS THAT IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST YOU ARE A NEW CREATION,
OLD THINGS HAVE PAST AWAY AND ALL THINGS HAVE BECOME NEW.
I CONCLUDE WITH THIS, IF THOSE WORDS DON’T STIR UP YOUR IDENTITY
THERE IS MORE THAT GOD SAYS ABOUT YOU AND WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST. IT'S IN HIS WORD. I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
MIRROR IS BUT WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND LOOK IN THE MIRROR, SAY TO
YOUR REFLECTION, I AM MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, LOVED BY HIM AND HE HAS A
PURPOSE FOR MY LIFE. NOTHING WILL TURN
ME AWAY FROM THAT. AND BLESSED IS HE WHO
IS NOT OFFENDED BY ME.
GOD BLESS YOU!
