Title: Establishing Christian Identity / Psalm 1:1-6
Content “Establishment of Christian Identity”
(Psalm 1:1-6, John 21:15-19, Col 2:6-7)
The novelist Milan Kundera said, "I cannot bear the lightness of being." Nietzsche used the expression “thrown-out being”, Sartre advocated “annihilation of existence,” and Schopenhauer even published “suicide theory.” In addition, Lee Sang (李箱) said, “Earth, stop. I want to get down.” He also complained about his empty life. However, the Bible teaches that man is heavier than the world by linking his existence to the Creator. (Matthew 16:26) Man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) and was crowned with God's honor and glory. Because it was given to us, we are more noble than angels (Psalm 8:5-9), and since it is the life that was saved by paying the ransom for the life of his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, it is a being heavier than the world (Matthew 16:26). It is a very heavy and precious existence because you received them as children and gave them the citizenship of the kingdom of God. (Philippians 3:20) Today, in Paul's letter to the Colossians, he talks about Christian identity and how much we exist. I hope it will be a time to discover something precious.
1. ‘Who is the owner?’ is a problem. “Therefore, since you have received Christ Jesus as Lord” (Colossians 2:6), those who have Jesus Christ as Lord are Christians. Simon Peter confessed Jesus as Lord and left everything and followed the Lord, becoming a fisher of men and walking on the path of discipleship (Luke 5:8-11). received. After he met the risen Lord, Thomas, who was skeptical, confessed, “My Lord and my God,” and became the symbol of his most perfect confession of faith. (John 20:28-29) Confessing and accepting Jesus as the Christ and Lord The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, works and testifies. “No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3), “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Christ” (Romans 8:10).
2. ‘Where is the root of existence?’ is a problem. “A Christian is one who is rooted and established in Christ” (Colossians 2:7). Jesus said, “I am the vine, and ye are the branches” (John 15:5). Those who are in Christ are those of Christ, and those who are in God. Therefore, the root of the Christian is Christ, the Creator God. Also, those who are in the Holy Spirit are God's children and heirs of God. (Romans 8:14,17) The children of God were ordained and called by God beforehand, and those whom He called also justified, and those whom He justified were glorified. (Romans 8:29-30) Therefore, the roots of a Christian are laid down in God's plan, which he predestined before the foundation of the world.
3. ‘What do you eat?’ is a problem. You are a Christian only if you stand firm in your faith as you have received the teachings of Christ. A Christian must stand firm on the word of God like a tree planted by a stream. (Psalm 1:1-3, Jer 17:7-8) A Christian is a person who lives on the Word of God as food, and the eternal life that Jesus Christ gives. A person who eats and drinks the food of God and eternal living water, never goes hungry and never thirsty. (John 6:35, 55-57) You must eat the word of God to live fully as a man of God and do all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) “How sweet are your words to me, sweeter than honey to my mouth” (Psalm 119:103)
4. ‘What kind of fruit is being opened?’ is a problem. The saying, “Let your thanks abound” (Colossians 2:7) is a lesson that true Christians should bear much fruit of thanks. The branch attached to the vine bears much fruit (John 15:16), and the tree that is rooted by streams of water also bears much fruit (Psalm 1:3), and Christians in the Spirit bear the fruit of the Spirit abundantly (John 15:16). Galatians 5:22-26)
“Every good tree bears good fruit, and every bad tree bears bad fruit… You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-20).
conclusion. Saints! Please think about your identity for a moment. “Who do I live with as my master?”, “Where do I root and live?”, “What do I eat and drink?”, “What kind of fruit do I live?” Please establish your identity as a Christian by faithfully answering these questions. Be courageous in resisting any temptation or challenge to lighten your existence. You are one of the most precious and precious beings in this world (Isaiah 43:4).