THE TRUEST IDENTITY

I am so excited to be here with you today

I am so excited to be here with you todayGod has been doing, is doing, and will continue to use this conference to greater define the masterpiece that you are. Today I get the privilege to talk to you about IdentityMaybe today will be a redirection To a God Glorifying identityGenesis 1:27 proclaims that God created us in His own imageThat is, that humanity has been created in light of who God isIf you look aroundWe can proclaim God’s beautyWe can say yes and amen to God’s DiversityWe can say that God is purposeful However what if we decided to flip the script on that for a secondWhat if we looked at Genesis 1:27 and saw it as an actionable itemWhat if we looked at Genesis 1:27 and said God, you haven’t just created me in your imageGod, you want me to bear your image here on this earthGod, you want me to proclaim who you are, in every area of my lifeGod, you want me to be a representation of who you are, no matter what my surroundings look like. God, you want to weave the fabric of your identity into my world. Today may be a revealing of that thing you cant shakeEcclesiastes 3:11 declares that humanity has been built with a curiosity for Eternal Things.Maybe today, you will have greater clarity of who you really areEphesians 2:10 calls us His Poeima, His workmanship, His MasterpieceCreated & Crafted, in Christ Jesus for Good WorksMaybe, just maybe, today you will make decisions that will cause your potential in Christ to be seen as achieveableMaybe today we will look at 1 Peter 1:13-16 and say “God, I cant, but you can, so Let’s Go”

Today I get the privilege to talk to you about Who You Really Are

As Junior Highers

I believe that this camp is going to set in place a pattern that can effect your Personal Value which will in turn effect the Eternal Population

I believe you have the ability to be used in such a way that can change the course of our cultures future

Together, we are going to look at two truths

W

The Truth about you apart from the Bible

The Truth about you in light of the Bible

The New King James Version Chapter 1

2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

2 Peter 1

The New King James Version Chapter 113 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

proclaims to us that we have been created in the image of God

That we were created to reflect who He is

We were created to mimic his characteristics

Our entire journey is a lifetime of molding and shaping our character, our soul, our identity into that of Jesus Christ

This work is best described in your Camp Verse.

2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Whether you are committed to following Jesus or have yet to make that decision, God is actively pursuing your undivided attention

Did you know that you don’t have to work for God’s Attention?

Did you know that God is so in love with you that He knows every detail of your life?

Did you know that He looks at you as his most precious son and daughter?

It is almost like He is stalking you on Social Media

Liking

Commenting

DM’ing you for no reason

Because He wants to show you that He is your biggest fan

Anything and everything you post

Because He wants to show you that He is your biggest fan

In fact

He displayed how much He loves you

He showed you how much He cares for you

He demonstrated to the whole world how big of a fan He is

By sending His Only Son to die on the Cross for your sins

This should grab our attention

This Changes everything

Friends, if our value is best defined by what God has done for us, why would we ever seek for value elsewhere?

Why would we strive to feel loved, if no greater love was ever shown on your behalf than that which Jesus displayed on the cross?

Why would we look to a career, a position at church, marriage, parenthood, sports for greater value

The Reality is, we do this all the time

We do this subconsciously

We do this every day on our phone

Ultimately we say this:

God, I know you you love me

God, I know you care

God, I know I’ve been created in your image

But I really need more than your love, care, and identity

In doing so, we hinder what God has been working on for our entire life.

I think we have yet to tap into this Bible Truth

The New King James Version Chapter 2

9 But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

Nor have entered into the heart of man

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Church, God has prepared the unbelieveable for you to live into

God has something so special, that if He told you, you wouldnt believe it

Your heart cant even handle it

So where can we start?

We need to value ourselves only alongside the Masterpiece that Jesus wants to create in us.

We need to find out what 1 Cornithians 2:9 means by participating in God’s Will

We need to actively seek 1st the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness that consequently we would be amazed by the things that Christ begins to do through us

But the sad part is that we are looking elsewhere for a value that only God can provide

How do we vaue ourselves?

Appearance: 59%

Ability in some activity: 49%

Intelligence: 38%

Size: 35%

Age: 21%

Race: 13%

Gender: 13%

Family economic status: 12%

Religion: 6%

Sexual Orientation: 6%

This is the current value system for your generation

This is why we are so obssesed with Selfies

This is why we are so obssesed with Sports

This is why we are so obssessed with Academics

Interesting to note that Religion and Sexual Identity rank identical to each other in how people find their self worth.

So how can we fix this?

The New King James Version Chapter 2

2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

What does the Bible offer to help us correctly align our identity?

What can we do today to put in place a rhythm of victory in the name of Jesus?

How can we stop depression, anxiety, and low self esteem?

Lets take a look at this text:

The New King James Version Chapter 2

2 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Before we can begin to understand our value in Christ

What if

In order for this to be achieveableWe need to realize who we are in light of who He isWe need to know the value of this goalWe need to know what its going to cost usWe need to know what its going to take to see this come to passBefore we can understand what God is trying to do We must understand from which position He is creating this masterpiece.We have to know what He is using to shape and mold us as instruments of Grace and HolinessChurch, I want to bring greater clarity to your identity in light of the GospelMy goal today is to equip you to know what is true, and what is truestI want us to learn how to wrestle with the process of becoming more like Jesus . . . of being Holy because He is HolyI want us to live into our truest identity, while laying aside the conformity that this world is requiring of us.

proclaims that God created us in His own image

In order for this to be achieveableWe need to realize who we are in light of who He isWe need to know the value of this goalWe need to know what its going to cost usWe need to know what its going to take to see this come to passBefore we can understand what God is trying to do We must understand from which position He is creating this masterpiece.We have to know what He is using to shape and mold us as instruments of Grace and HolinessChurch, I want to bring greater clarity to your identity in light of the GospelMy goal today is to equip you to know what is true, and what is truestI want us to learn how to wrestle with the process of becoming more like Jesus . . . of being Holy because He is HolyI want us to live into our truest identity, while laying aside the conformity that this world is requiring of us.

1.

We must look at the undeniable truths of Life apart from Him

That is, that humanity has been created in light of who God is

Apart from Christ, all we are is humans dead in our trespasses

If you look around

The New King James Version Chapter 22 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

We are just a bunch of zombies walking around aimlessly sinning our little hearts out

We can proclaim God’s beauty

We are a community of unbelievers finding value in things that will perish

In creating this masterpiece, God is working with some inferior materialsMaterials that compromise the integrity of the finished productQualities that may effect the desired end resultPaul says:You were dead in your sins and trespasses You walked according to the course of the WorldYou walked according to the power of your fleshly desiresYou lived out your identity as a child of wrathTHIS IS WHAT IS TRUESo what is TruerGod, in His Glorious Plan to take something that has no value and make it priceless, does the unthinkable:God says come and let me flip that scriptLet me sing a new song over youLet us reason together, He saysThough your faults, failures, and your lack of power of meeting my standard of Holiness are undeniableSo is my undeniable love for you . . . my workmanshipTALK TO US LORD! HOW CAN HE ACCOMPLISH THIS?HOW IS THIS ACHIEVABLE?It is made available to us through an implementation of a godly characteristic that is unmatched and unrivaled by any other god on this earth“But God who is so in love with you, Bestows upon you a Mercy that sustains its salvific value throughout the agesEven when we were as good as deadGod the Father in His Love for youMade us alive together in ChristRaising us up togetherAllowing us to sit together in the Heavenly Places through our identity in Christ JesusDo you see what Paul is saying here?He is looking at us already living into our Godly PotentialBecause of these Bible Truths He is not only displaying His Love for you through His MercyBut through the Exceeding Riches of Hs Grace A Rich GraceThat brings to light a kindness found nowhere else in this worldIt is a loving kindnessA Kindness that causes us to respond in humilityIt is a Kindness that leads us to repentance. This Identification Process belongs to the LordIt is a work that only He knows how to doIn looking at this Process, we must relinquish our creative direction to Him who creates all things newHe is the Creative DirectorHe is the Chief Operations OfficerHe is the Chief Executive OfficerHe is Chief Gift GiverThe one who by Grace has saved us Not a grace that we have earned But a Grace that was gifted to us in light of our spiritual lackThis entire process is called none other than “Life with Jesus”This entire journey is the process of bringing us back to Original Intent. Now that we know the details of that pre-production workSounds amazing right?Here is the Hard Part

We can say yes and amen to God’s Diversity

In creating this masterpiece, God is working with some inferior materialsMaterials that compromise the integrity of the finished productQualities that may effect the desired end resultPaul says:You were dead in your sins and trespasses You walked according to the course of the WorldYou walked according to the power of your fleshly desiresYou lived out your identity as a child of wrathTHIS IS WHAT IS TRUESo what is TruerGod, in His Glorious Plan to take something that has no value and make it priceless, does the unthinkable:God says come and let me flip that scriptLet me sing a new song over youLet us reason together, He saysThough your faults, failures, and your lack of power of meeting my standard of Holiness are undeniableSo is my undeniable love for you . . . my workmanshipTALK TO US LORD! HOW CAN HE ACCOMPLISH THIS?HOW IS THIS ACHIEVABLE?It is made available to us through an implementation of a godly characteristic that is unmatched and unrivaled by any other god on this earth“But God who is so in love with you, Bestows upon you a Mercy that sustains its salvific value throughout the agesEven when we were as good as deadGod the Father in His Love for youMade us alive together in ChristRaising us up togetherAllowing us to sit together in the Heavenly Places through our identity in Christ JesusDo you see what Paul is saying here?He is looking at us already living into our Godly PotentialBecause of these Bible Truths He is not only displaying His Love for you through His MercyBut through the Exceeding Riches of Hs Grace A Rich GraceThat brings to light a kindness found nowhere else in this worldIt is a loving kindnessA Kindness that causes us to respond in humilityIt is a Kindness that leads us to repentance. This Identification Process belongs to the LordIt is a work that only He knows how to doIn looking at this Process, we must relinquish our creative direction to Him who creates all things newHe is the Creative DirectorHe is the Chief Operations OfficerHe is the Chief Executive OfficerHe is Chief Gift GiverThe one who by Grace has saved us Not a grace that we have earned But a Grace that was gifted to us in light of our spiritual lackThis entire process is called none other than “Life with Jesus”This entire journey is the process of bringing us back to Original Intent. Now that we know the details of that pre-production workSounds amazing right?Here is the Hard Part

We can say that God is purposeful

We pride ourselves in how many likes we get, how many followers we have, and how many people interact with our post

Not acknowledging that the dopamine hit fades away

Church, this world is demanding you to submit and participate in everything it has to offerThe Classic vices of this worldSex, Drugs, Rock & RollBut what about the more internal thingsWhat about the underlying tones that Social Media createsWhat is Worldstar telling us about our youth?What is Kylie Jenner telling you about your makeup?What is Caitlyn Jenner telling you about your sexuality?What is Kanye really telling you about your mental health?What is Bruno Mars telling you about relationships?Whether we like it or not, Believer or Unbeliever, Social Media has the ability to amplify the effects ofManipulation, Envy, Jealousy, Lust, Anger, Passive Agressiveness, Selfishness, Greed, Worry, Anxiety, Self Esteem Issues, Self Harm, Church, these are equally, if not more dangerous, than the Classic Vices of this worldSex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll are merely the Physical Manifestation of what you are experiencing internallyThey are the fruit of our internal issuesBeliever, Non Believer, or Beiber FeverYour true feelings about your identity direct your actionsThey write your storyThey are true in every sense, but they too fall short of the potential that can be reached in Christ Jesus.Church, it is time for us to live into our Truest IdentityAn Identity created by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit, which was gifted to us in light of what Jesus has done. It is time to put our ignorance asideIt is time for us to deal with the elephant in the roomIt is time to stop conforming to our former lustsIt is time for us to pursue Holiness as an Achievable GoalIt is time for us to fight for our future victoriesIn encouraging our church to do this, I find that the most popular excuse is this:

However what if we decided to flip the script on that for a secondWhat if we looked at and saw it as an actionable itemWhat if we looked at and said God, you haven’t just created me in your imageGod, you want me to bear your image here on this earthGod, you want me to proclaim who you are, in every area of my lifeGod, you want me to be a representation of who you are, no matter what my surroundings look like. God, you want to weave the fabric of your identity into my world. Today may be a revealing of that thing you cant shakeEcclesiastes 3:11 declares that humanity has been built with a curiosity for Eternal Things.Maybe today, you will have greater clarity of who you really areEphesians 2:10 calls us His Poeima, His workmanship, His MasterpieceCreated & Crafted, in Christ Jesus for Good WorksMaybe, just maybe, today you will make decisions that will cause your potential in Christ to be seen as achieveableMaybe today we will look at and say “God, I cant, but you can, so Let’s Go”

Not acknowledging that in order to continue feeling good about yourself

You have to continue bragging about yourself

This is True, but not TruestYes, your past can effect your futureYes, your sin can effect and prolong the restoration processYes, you can have the genetic structure and proclivities of sinBut you also have a High Priest who you can approach for HelpYou have a high priest who has been in your positionWho has in all points been tested and yet without sinChurch, if Jesus looked to his Generational Tendencies for future SuccessHe would have failed and fallen short of His CallingIn fact, genetically speaking, Jesus was set up for failureLooking at his genealogyHe should have been a liarHe should have altered God’s WordHe should have been promiscuousHe should have been an adultererHe should have listened to SatanHe should have believed the lie. This is what his future should have looked likeBut instead of believing the False Identity that was presented to HimHe believed His Truest CallingHe lived into the potential that His Father expected of Him. In this was His Truest Identity

Not acknowledging that one day, when you pass away

Your account, all your likes, comments, your handle, and everything that once proclaimed your earthly value will disappear forever.

He thinks the world of youHe loves you in light of the reality of your sinBut loves you enough to present to you a truer optionAn option to live into a greater identityAn identity where the dead comes to lifeAn identity where Holiness is achievable. An identity fueled by Kingdom Principles that are foreign to this world.

It will be like they never happened.

We pride ourselves by our popularity

We are willing to go to any lengths to be the most popular in our class

We will accept a hypocritical life style in order to please everyone.

Not acknowledging the hurt and pain we cause others

Not acknowledging the condition of our heart

Not acknowledging that we are ok with a Pharissaical lifestyle

We will neglect friends, family, church, in order to be the star of the team

We will make time only for that which makes us a better athlete

We will sing about how Grace has saved us, but we will work for our acceptance out on the field

What happens when we get unfollowed and blocked?

What happens when all our friends move away?

What happens when we have a career ending injury?

Is this where life ends? When your value goes into an uncontrollable downward spiral?

This is a sad ending to a life driven and valued by the things of this world.

You

So what is the Biblical Solution?

Fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind

Where can we go to rescue us from this outcome?

Meeting the criteria of being called “Children of Wrath”

The New King James Version Chapter 2

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

The New King James Version Chapter 2

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Believer, Unbeliever, Beiber Fever

God wants to let you know today that wherever you are at

However you have defined yourself

The Relationships that have messed you up

Your history apart from Christ

Has the ability to be redeemed, restored, and rescued

From the presence of Sin, the power of Sin, and the penalty of Sin

Because of the God of the Bible

Because He is rich in Mercy

Because of how He loves you

Even when we have devalued ourselves

Even when we have put a greater value on the earthly

Even when we have pushed him aside and sought to define ourselves in our own image

Even while we were sinning against him

Dead in our Trespasses

He made us alive together in Christ Jesus

It is this Grace that has saved us

It is this Mercy that has raised us up from defeat

It is this Love that has seated us next to Him in Heaven

This process of restoration

This process of redemption

The messiness of grace

This journey is the greatest snapshot of God’s Love for you.

This isn’t your highlight reel

This is His Highlight Reel

This isn’t what you would post

But it is what He would post

This is where God’s love for you is put on Display for everyone to see

This is how God shows the exceeding riches of His Grace to people who don’t even know what Grace is

Your repentance is how His kindness is put on display

When what you dont deserve is lavished upon you

People will have only one person to give credit to

People will only blame one person

Only one name will be glorified

That is the name of Jesus

What follows this process is the greatest truth that you can live into

The New King James Version Chapter 2

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Say it with me

For we are His Workmanship

We are His Creation

We are

We are His Masterpiece

We are His Artefact

For what cause?

Why are you here?

Created in Christ Jesus for good works

Paul is talking to people with their potential in mind

Paul is preaching in a way that causes curiosity for the hearer

It is like Jesus preaching the sermon on the mount

Have you ever thought about how Jesus spoke to people

To the self righteous,

He focused on what convicted them.

To the Pharisees

He took what they prized the most

And pointed how He came to fulfill the requirement that they needed to meet

But to the poor in spirit, He focused on what made them rich

He looked at the disciples not as fisher men

But fishers of me

He looked at the woman caught in adultery not as a victim

But as a citizen of heaven

He looked at the women at the well not as a samaritan

But as an Preacher of Good News to the Samaritans

He looked at the Demoniac that was cutting himself

As the first Evangelist to the Decapolis

He looked at the cross not as an instrument of death

But as a way to bring life to those who were dead.

Today Jesus looks at all of us as His prized possession

He knows how we have settled for less

He knows we are devaluing our worth

He knows we are trying to measure ourselves by earthly standards

He doesnt say, fine leave

He says, come near

Come closer

I am still here

THE TRUEST IDENTITY

Welcome

LET’S READ THE THEME VERSE OF THIS CONFERENCE

LET’S READ THE THEME VERSE OF THIS CONFERENCE

FACTS ABOUT IDENTITY

Read Ephesians 2:1-10

Read Ephesians 2:1-10

WHAT IS TRUE?

WHAT IS TRUE?

When it comes to Social Media

OUR FLESH DESIRES OUR FULL ATTENTION

OUR FLESH DESIRES OUR FULL ATTENTION

BUT MY PAST IS EFFECTING MY FUTURE...

BUT MY PAST IS EFFECTING MY FUTURE...

TODAY: JESUS LOOKS AT YOU WITH AN UNMATCHED POTENTIAL

TODAY: JESUS LOOKS AT YOU WITH AN UNMATCHED POTENTIAL

When it comes to Relationships

When it comes to Sports

What happens when it all goes away?

NOTHING HAS CHANGED