Who Am I? - 1 Thes 5:23

FF-Who am I?
January 20, 2013
1 Thes 5:23

Introduction

• Who am I?
• Sometimes we wonder at the things we have done, and ask ourselves, how could I have done this or that, what made me do it, etc.
• I used to have a struggle with using foul language
• When I was in high school, using the f-word was commonplace.
• I was a Christian, I knew it was wrong and dishonoring to Jesus, and yet I could not seem to kick it
• It made me wonder about myself, what caused this thing to have such power in my head?
• At the same time I was struggling to not view pornography
• Was I the worst person around?
• I felt like a failure, and my adult life had barely started
• I was a Christian who had given his life to Jesus
• Yet, somehow, sin had found a foothold in my thinking, and each time I used the language, or was tempted with pornography I felt as low as could be

I couldn't understand why

• I tried to be a good Christian
• I had been baptized, I served in my church
• I tried to pray regularly, I read the Bible
• And yet I had these major struggles
• Why?

God's intention for us

• Jesus told us that the good shepherd, speaking of himself, has come that we might have life, and that more abundantly
• Jesus wants us to have an abundant life, not a life that is totally short-changed because of constant struggle and disappointment in ourselves
• He contrasts this with the thief who comes only to kill, steal and destroy

So, who am I?

• I am a mixture of good and bad
• God created us good, but we have allowed sin into our lives
• Adam was the first one to fall for the enemy's sweet-talk
• He listened, believed the lies, and rebelled against God
• As a result, we all have the same battle to fight - to not believe the enemy's lies, and instead to be 100% loyal to God

What were we like when God created us?

• Gen 1:26 - Let us make man in our image, in our likeness
• So in what ways are we created in God's likeness?
  • we think
  • we have emotions
  • we are creative
  • we have a basic shape

But we are told God is spirit (Jn 4:24)

Does man have a spirit component?

You can't weigh or measure spirit

And yet it is there

1 Thes 5:23 - "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

We are made up of three parts

Spirit, soul and body

What is this spirit part of us?

• Each of us has been created with a human spirit, which makes us living, thinking, living human beings
• When we become alive as an embryo, that spirit is what makes us alive
• Gen 2:7 God breathed into man the breath of life (breath, spirit of man)
• At the end of our lives that human spirit returns to God
• Ecclesiastes 12:7 - dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it
• Our human spirit is that part of us that is dead or neutral before Jesus gives us life
• 2Corinthians 3:6 "Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life."
• It is through our spirit that we are able to connect to God
• When we accept Jesus he comes to make his home with us
• John 14:23
• He comes to dwell in our spirit, and he makes us alive spiritually
• A relationship is started which will never be extinguished

The enemy

• But through this spirit we also have connection with the dark side
• These are fallen angels who rebelled against God, and lost the battle
• God is still stronger than they think they are
• They try to rob us of our joy, they torment us, they tell us lies and threaten us and try to control us
• But God is stronger than they are

 

Conclusion

• Recognizing that we have a spiritual component, is a part of recognizing who we are!
• When we understand our makeup as people, we can understand why it is that we have had such struggles to do the right thing
• God's intention is for us to live abundantly, as His children!
• So there is a way out of this tormented struggle
• Come along next week for more about who we are: spirit, soul, and body
• If anyone here tonight wants to be set free from demonic oppression, and be prayed for, come and see me afterwards.