Are you living a works-based religious life? God validates our identity through Jesus, akin to a manufacturer labeling their product. Even when faithfulness contradicts our selfish desires, it can lead to transformation in our everyday lives.
Are you living a works-based religious life? God validates our identity through Jesus, akin to a manufacturer labeling their product. Even when faithfulness contradicts our selfish desires, it can lead to transformation in our everyday lives.
Hey, what up? It's Mark Carter on, the Pastor of Fierce Church. Welcome to our podcast. I'm so pumped that you're able to join us today. I hope this encourages you, inspires you, strengthens you, gives you hope to keep pressing on, and it's my prayer that this sermon gives you a more expansive view of God's love for you.
Speaker 2:Enjoy the message I have the idea oh, I want to be a pastor. Maybe I should leave this sports thing behind and I'll start my own ministry or I'll do some after school service or something, which is a fine idea. That's a fine idea. But did I do that? No, I quit and then went home and did my homework or hung out with friends or whatever. Fast forward two years where I'm playing at the collegiate level. I walk on at a small NAI school and I'm playing basketball and my shot is still messed up. So I'm a defensive specialist. I think Dennis Rodman no, I was playing. Okay, so I'm a defensive specialist. And my team struggled a lot with offense, something that I could not figure out how to contribute, and my competitive spirit is just like all right, this isn't for me. So then I had the idea oh, I'm going to get engaged this summer. Maybe I should stop playing basketball and focus on preparing myself for marriage. Did I do that? No, I just stopped playing basketball and then did homework or hung out with my friends.
Speaker 2:I tell you that story to say this that I was mistaken about why I wanted to do something. I had deceived myself. When I looked inside and was checking my desires, I thought I wanted something, but with hindsight it's clear as day and maybe this is clear to you that I didn't want to play those sports anymore because I was tired of losing and my ego wasn't big enough to deal with it. Or to put it another way, my identity was so rooted in the success that I had on the sports field. I couldn't deal with people viewing me as a failure and, if I'm honest with myself, even more than that not just in hindsight my character took a shot by me quitting. I became less resilient and I became more lazy, which I needed that character. When the train of the fear of failure was coming down the tracks to hit me in my 20s and the panic attacks start right. I just didn't have the character to deal with that. We need an identity that can handle the heights and depths of our performance. We need a view of ourselves that can make it through when life is really great and you're doing great things, or life is not so great and you're not doing so great.
Speaker 2:Our culture tries to help us with this. Our culture says things like be true to yourself. High schoolers probably hear you, do you? Or, for the sake of this message, I'll phrase it this way. Be faithful to yourself, find who you truly want to be, check the true desires of your heart and then double down on that. Don't care about what anybody else says. Pursue it wholeheartedly. Demand that they adapt to the dreams that you have, right.
Speaker 2:But there are some problems with this modern self. I'll name a few. First, like my story, when I look back on my experiences, I realize that the desires that I thought I was following were just covering up deeper insecurities. So the question is how do you actually know that the desires that you currently have are what your future self is going to want you to do? Okay, so regret is one of them. Another problem is that it doesn't actually make sense. When you look inward, you realize that you have conflicting desires.
Speaker 2:I'll say an obvious one Family and career. Family and career. Now I don't want to get into the mom debates about whether you should stay at home or be a or working mom or whatever. That is not my intention at all. So I'm going to talk about dad. So if you're a, so if you're, if you're a dad and you stay at home with little ones, you have an opportunity to build a relationship that's more intimate than dads who work, it's just a quantity of time thing. It's not that dads who work don't have good relationships with their kids. Not saying that, just saying in terms of hours spent you can't because you're working. But a dad that's a CEO that spends 80 hours a week trying to earn profits for his shareholders and trying to raise value for his employees and trying to give, deliver value to the clients right, a person who's devoted to business they just don't have the time to build the same relationships that a stay at home dad does.
Speaker 2:Not saying that one or the other is wrong. Saying that at some point in your life, if you're trying to do both, you have to decide. Client meeting, daughter's dance recital. So then when the culture says you do, you you're looking inside and you're like I don't, I want both. There's conflict internally for what we even want.
Speaker 2:Another problem when people say don't? You know it's a subtle art to not care about what other people have to say there's I guess I can say we probably all should care less about what everybody thinks of us, but you can't. You can't get away from caring about what the people that you care about think of you, right? So let's take parental issues. I have never heard someone come and talk about their parents and be like, yeah, I just don't care what they think. It's either I'm getting crushed by their expectations parental issues, right I'm getting crushed by their expectations. They have such a great legacy and I want to honor them. I want to do great things like they have done, or I hate them and I wish that my life would never be associated with all the junk that they've done to me, both in relationship to the parents, because we care about what they think of us. You can't get away from it. So so far, if you try to live for yourself, it's likely going to be a road of regrets. It doesn't make any sense and it's impossible. We'll do one more, maybe two, one more, maybe two. Okay.
Speaker 2:So the first is that you have. You have relationships that you want to maintain, and if you only look inward and try to figure out where you want to go, then every relationship gets put through that filter, and so then, when you meet somebody, you have to ask is this person going to help me or hurt me on this road that I'm on? Another way to say that is it's transactional. Are they going to offer you anything? If they do offer you anything. What do they require that you can get them to offer what you want? People view marriage this way right, I have my goals, she has her goals, and if you find the right partner, it's a win-win, like a business deal.
Speaker 2:One of the hard things in American society is parenting, and that's because it's the only relationship that can't be transactional. So you're told you do you until you have a kid, and then it's like no, resist every urge that you have to make them into your image. Rather, you need to give them the space to figure out who they're going to be and you need to accept them for it. But that's just the beginning of the challenge. So I already mentioned that when I was struggling with football and with basketball, I didn't even know the deep desires that I have. That's our job as parents is to figure out what are the deepest desires for our children and then to parent them into who they think they will be in 10 years' time or 20 years' time An impossible task. It's no wonder that people shy away from having more kids, because with that amount of work it's just never ending. It's soul crushing. Last one, this is the last one. One more problem. Problem is this? Lots of people.
Speaker 2:I don't mean to pick on people who have social media and who do this, but it might sound that way. Some people in our culture are obsessed with hotness, right, regardless of age, and it's strange to me that everybody on Instagram everybody's dramatic. I'm being dramatic right now. Lots of folks on Instagram want to portray themselves as a 20-year-old, with the clothes that they wear, with the vacations that they take, with everything, and I mean I get the allure of romance and of relationships.
Speaker 2:But to try to be useful forever is an impossibility. I mean, if we're honest, deep down inside, we also don't want to die. We would like to live for more than our lives, and I'll just put this out there. You know, ducks are born with an innate desire to swim. You don't have to teach them to swim, and so possibly, if we're born with a desire for something that's not in this world, maybe that's what we're made for, okay. So if you want an identity that deals with the ups and downs of your performance, then it's clear that if you look inward, especially by yourself, you can't do it. It's impossible, it doesn't make any sense, it'll mess with your relationships.
Speaker 2:So now, as a church, we turn to God's Word and we see. What does the Bible have to say about who we are? What is the deepest truth about us? We're in the series 9, which is the Fruit of the Spirit. There are nine character qualities that God gives us, because that's who he is. We're going to talk about faithfulness today, but I don't want you to lose the context of the passage.
Speaker 2:And so Paul is writing to the Galatians. It's a church in Galatia, modern-day Turkey, and he's mad at Christians. Because Christians there are saying, hey, we got this new identity from Jesus. But now that we want other people to be like people are interested in Christianity and as we're trying to help them become Christian, we're like we're holding back the gift and we're saying wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You got to be a lot better than you are in order to get in. Like, have you looked at your life? Your life is a mess. Get your stuff together, then you can come back.
Speaker 2:But this is an old religious idea that just snuck back in right. Jesus has this story of a Pharisee who's praying and he says the Pharisee says God, thank you for not making me like other sinners, not like that A dulture over there, or that robber over there, or that tax collector over there, or that guy who works for the tax collectors over here. This is works-based religion. What you do determines your standing before God. And this Pharisee thought he was doing it, and that led to a bunch of arrogance. And these Christians in Galatia are doing the exact same thing, and so Paul's like no, no, no, no, no. You're misunderstanding. You're misunderstanding the order of events here.
Speaker 2:God wants us to be faithful, he wants us to have that character quality, but we get there in a different way. So I'm going to talk about what faithfulness is. We're going to talk about that exchange very quickly, and then we'll practically apply it. This will be fast. First, faithfulness is and hopefully you've already gotten this faithfulness is a stability of character. Faithfulness is a stability of character. Faithfulness is a stability of character. Faithfulness is a stability of character. It's a stability of character when someone wants to trust in someone. You being faithful would be trustworthy. God himself has all of these nine character qualities, but he is also faithful.
Speaker 2:When Abraham was promised by God to have an heir, a descendant, through whom all the nations would be blessed, abraham and Sarah were very old, and yet God was faithful and gave them a child, when David was concerned about his kingdom in those ancient Near Eastern times, like war and tribulation and pestilence, all these things, and God promises to David that one of his descendants will be on the throne forever, or instability established forever. So then we get to Jesus. Matthew 1.1, the very first book. The son of Abraham, the son of David, jesus the Christ, god is fulfilling his promises. He is faithful, god is faithful, and so so we have all these character traits.
Speaker 2:And then, in verse 23, you have against God, against these. There is no law, which is just back to the old school religion. It's like do I need to check myself before accepting Jesus? No, here's actually what happens. You accept the gift and then God makes you able to honor him. You are then able not to sin, you are able not to be selfish, to give yourself over to selfish ambition. You are able to say no to the you do you culture.
Speaker 2:Verse 24, this is the mechanism, this is how we get the new identity. Those who belong to Jesus have crucified the flesh with his desires. Alright. So, as a believer, what does it mean that we crucified? We're crucifying desires. No, it doesn't mean that we crucified. They have been crucified, namely all of our junk, all of our failings, all of our insecurities and weaknesses, all of our selfishness. Jesus nails to the cross. Jesus lived a faithful life. He honored God perfectly. And so then, this is the mechanism right here On the cross, god viewed Jesus as if he had lived our life, and we are viewed by God as if we had lived Jesus's. Okay, so then, god becomes the validator for your identity. Who are you In Christ? I am the child of God that Jesus is In Christ. I am an heir, with Christ, to the inheritance of heaven. This changes everything. I'll use a junior high example.
Speaker 2:Who has the right to label your clothes, like when they put a label on it? Who does that? The manufacturer, you're right. So when a label gets put on us, who has the right to do that? Who puts the label on our bodies? Our manufacturer, the one who made us. And if the one who made us and sustains all things and is great and glorious and eternally perfect in all of his character, if he's the one that looks at you through Christ and accepts you fully into his arms as a child, well, I think, as far as you can get that into your bones, you've got an identity that's unshakable? I'm not sure.
Speaker 2:Verse 25, since we live by the Spirit, god is the one that gives us his life. Since we live by the Spirit, let's keep in step with the Spirit. If God has given us this new life, let's become more like a person who would be pleasing to God. If God loves us so much, then why don't we honor him by transforming? But this is how this works practically. Faith leads to faithfulness. Small daily acts of trust transform you into a faithful person. Faith means trust. Faith doesn't mean here I believe that God exists. Faith is rather, I believe that God won't let me down. Think of it like stepping out onto ice.
Speaker 2:I grew up in North Central Illinois, not around many lakes, and when I took junior hires to a winter camp, there was a large lake and I was concerned. Mostly it was something like this If a child dies, I have to talk to their parents. So I didn't want that to happen. When I got there, even more concerned because they were like let the kids play, we have workers out there, they'll keep them safe. You need to go to this leaders meeting and figure out everything. So I go down there and the first thing that they say is the toboggan run onto the lake is open and I'm like we're literally sending kids on carts into the lake. And I said we just checked, we drove the truck out there, we just checked. The ice is strong. You can drive trucks on ice.
Speaker 2:When God asks us to obey in a way that we don't want to, it's like putting your toe out there, like when you obey you're taking a risk. The selfishness inside of me is saying no, but God, who loves me, he loves me enough to die for me. And he says I should do differently. Maybe I should step out. And the testimony of a Christian life is that you look back on all of those little steps and you see how faithful God is. God can handle more than a truck. God can handle our problems. God can handle all of our problems because he's bigger. I'm coming back to the hotness. Then we'll lay on this plane.
Speaker 2:Verse 26 says do not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Let's not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. So how does that make sense, that our new identity leads to a lack of pride and a lack of envy? Well, it's because if you look inward and you're like of all the things that I've done. Do I measure up to God? That answer is no. God has gifted us a new identity. So when I think like, well, should I be proud about this? Well, I am proud that I am a child of God, but I didn't do anything to deserve it. So when I'm talking to other folks, that offers on the table for them as well. So what happens is you can become bold and humble in conversations. You can become bold and humble in conversations.
Speaker 2:Think of a marriage that's struggling and you know that you should say something, but you're so mad at them. Your identity is in Christ. You are a loved child, so precious to him that you can say what needs to be said, but humbly, knowing that you and your spouse make mistakes and if he or she is a believer, you can join together going towards the same goal. You can be on the same team. If you think about parenting, we can say no. We can reject the culture's push to be like just wait for the kid to say who they're going to be. We can say no, that didn't work in my life and I want them to know how much God loves them. I want them to know that I am responsible to point them to God, that God put me in their life to speak truth into them, to lead them in the way that they ought to go, not in the way that they think that they should go.
Speaker 2:The hotness thing One of my mentors at Trinity had acne very badly in high school, you know, swelling of the face, ashamed of himself. And he got in the habit, got in the habit of washing his face in the morning, as he would say in Christ, that he would remind himself that he is a loved child of God and that God is the one who makes him beautiful. God is the one who determines what is beautiful and God has seen him and went to the cross to save him and he could put that in the bank. In a culture that pushes for youth and pushes this weird like flaunting sexuality, it is refreshing to know that we have an identity that's more than just our peers. To other folks In my own life I struggle with failure and I got in the habit of listening to a song the very first thing in the morning. So I'll generalize this and then we'll end with the song. Basically, if you know what your identity struggles are, practice speaking truth into those. Speak truth into your wounds.
Speaker 2:For me, because I was so scared of failure, I found this song called my Worth is Not in what I Own, by the Getys, and the lyrics are this my worth is not in what I own, not in the strength of flesh and bone, but in the costly wounds of love at the cross. My worth is not in skill or name, in win or lose, in pride or shame, but in the precious blood that flows at the cross. I rejoice in my redeemer, greatest treasure, wellspring of my soul. I will trust in Him, no other. My soul is satisfied in Him alone. Let's pray, heavenly Father. Lord, thank you for your Word, thank you for reminding us who we are. In Christ, lord, we ask that when we think about what it means to be faithful to us, that we would look inside and see you, god, that we would not grieve your Spirit, but that we would walk and step with you, lord, that you would lead us to pass of righteousness for your name's sake. In Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 1:Hey, thank you so much for joining us today. If you don't have a home church and you're looking for a Bible preaching community that has its heart set on passionately knowing Jesus and being His witness in our generation, check out FearsChurch. We'd love for you to join us, either digitally or in person. Also, if you're looking for leadership development related content, don't forget to check out the Fears Leadership Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts from. Special thanks to those of you who give generously to support this ministry. It's because of you that this is possible. You can click on the link in the description to give now or visit Fears Church for more information. If you enjoy this podcast, why not subscribe? Share it with your friends, click on the share button, take a screenshot and share it on social media or wherever you would share such things. Whatever challenges you're facing, I know you can make it. Don't give up. Hang on to Jesus. He won't let go of you. Jesus loves you so much and we love you. I hope someday we get to meet in person. Thanks again for listening.