John 1:19-23 (12/4/24)

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John 1:19-23 (12/4/24)

Operating In Your Identity

December 4, 2024 • Benham Brothers • John 1:19–23

* How you see yourself determines how you behave yourself.

* Satan knows this.

* If he can get you confused about who you are, he's won the battle.

* One of the keys to knowing who you are is knowing who you are not!

* John the Baptist is a great example.

* vs. 19-21 - “And this is the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

* God is the great I AM.

* John knew he was the great I AM NOT!

* EX: Joseph & Daniel

* vs 22-23 - “So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

* John knew he was simply the voice to prepare the way for Jesus.

* EX: Christ’s donkey

* As such, John never took credit from Christ; he gave it all to Him.

* And when he was thrown in prison, even though he went through a real trial of his faith, he knew that his job as preparer was over.

* His lap of the race was done--and now it was time for Jesus to shine.

* Note - John aligned his identity with God’s Word.

* Notice how he pointed back to an OT scripture.

* vs 23 - “He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

* We too should align our identities with the truth of God’s Word.

* The more time you spend in God’s Word the more you learn about yourself!

* Then, and only then, Satan cannot rob us of our identities.

Psalms 119:97-104 (12/11/24)

December 11, 2024 • Benham Brothers • Psalm 119:97–104

* If we love God, we will love His Word. * It might not be immediate, but the more time we spend with Him, the more of Him we’ll want. * The Bible is a book all about Him! * The book of Psalms is like a love letter to God. * It’s a prayer journal that we get to peek inside of. * Psalms 119 is the longest psalm, and is made up of blocks, each one containing eight verses. * We’re in the MEM section. * vs 97a - “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.” * Dwelling in God’s Word is a continual meditation of the poet’s life. * How did the poet get to this point? * The next seven verses show us the steps he took to get there. * 1) He knew he was in a battle. * vs 98 - “Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever mine.” * The first step to falling in love with God’s Word was the recognition of the immediate and sustained threat of enemies. * Because of that threat, he recognized his reliance on God’s Word. * Knowing you’re in a fight is the first key to winning the battle over evil. * 2) He knew the value of teachers. * vs 99 - “I have more insight than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.” * His teachers prepared him to trust in God’s Word. * He became wise because of them. * 3) He welcomed “elders” into his life (older people) * vs 100 - “I understand more than the aged, because I have observed your precepts.” * Elders model the way and also keep us accountable. * These elders lived by example, which led him to seek out teachers, which led him to prepare for conflict. * 4) He knew he could easily be just like his enemies. * vs 101 - “I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep your Word.” * Being repulsed by this discovery is what led him to listen to his elders, learn from his teachers, and prepare to be someone different. * 5) He discovered that God’s way was the best way to live his life. * vs 102-103 - “I have not turned aside from your ordinances, for you yourself have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” * 6) He based his thinking on truth, not the falsehoods of the world. * vs 104 - “From your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.” * With this examination in mind, we can see the connection to the next verse in the NUN section. * It elaborates on how deeply God’s Word has changed him. * vs 105 - “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

John 4:34 (12/11/24)

December 11, 2024 • Benham Brothers • John 4:34

* Our work is our primary form of worship. * But the most important thing for us to recognize is that our work is not about us - it’s about HIM! * vs 34 - “Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish HIS work.” * Jesus was put on earth to do God's task - He was just responsible for carrying it out. * This is so important for us to remember - what you're doing right now is God's work. * Changing those diapers as a stay-at-home mom… * Plumbing toilets as a school janitor… * Writing a paper as a high school junior… * Opening another office as an entrepreneur…. * All of that is God's work that He's put you here on this earth to complete. * And the better you complete that work the more glory God is given. * Think about Jesus at 29 years old - what did His day look like? * He went out and worked a blue-collar job. * But was this statement true for Him then just as it was true for Him now? * He had the same assignment - to bring God glory - but He had a different venue. * He went from working in a vocational business to a vocational ministry. * Our work is to bring God glory. * We do that by completing the "works" He gives us to do. * Be faithful where you are with what you have and God will be brought glory.

Acts 8:12 (12/4/24)

December 4, 2024 • Benham Brothers • Acts 8:12

* Jesus came to usher in the Kingdom of God on the earth. * Kingdom = King’s Dominion. * Kingdom of God - God’s comprehensive rule in every area of life. * Jesus is the one who brought that kingdom to earth. * The Kingdom has come “down” - it’s our job to have the kingdom come “out” - out of us into the world. * But we are often confused about the gospel of the kingdom. * We think it only has to do with salvation. * But that’s one part of the kingdom - the pivotal part - but not the full message. * Acts 8:12 shows salvation and the kingdom as two distinct things - “But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” * Kegan Chandler notes: * “Though preaching “the gospel of the kingdom” was Jesus’ solemn charge to his followers, in mainstream Christianity “the gospel” has widely been diluted to involve only a message about Jesus’ sacrificial atonement. But Jesus, who never spoke of dying for sins, and did not even mention his own death until late in his ministry, is said to have gone everywhere “preaching the gospel”, that is, announcing “the kingdom” and its impending restoration. Modern Christianity has largely traded Christ’s apocalyptic vision of an impending real-world theocracy (Kingdom) for a hope in an escape to heaven.” * How much of our view of Christ’s role has been truncated by a fixation on “getting to heaven”? When was the last time you actually thought about the kingdom of God as a real-world empire rising in opposition to the empires of human history? * Chances are you never thought of Jesus as anything more than the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. In the evangelical world, Jesus equals sacrifice. No one ever speaks of the anointed king who will dismantle the world as we know it, including our religious structures. Yet Jesus says that he came to proclaim precisely this: that the world as we know it is about to end, that God Himself will remove opposition to His reign, and that this earth will be returned to its intended purpose of glorifying the Father. * Curiously, in today’s popular preaching and writing, much more emphasis is placed on the person of Jesus than on the kingdom of heaven. There is more interest in the final coming, in the rapture, and so forth, than in the many times Jesus comes to those seeking the kingdom of God here and now.” * Our assumptions about the “gospel” often unconsciously direct our behavior. If we think knowing Jesus is the same as being saved so that we can be assured of heaven, we will treat others very differently than if we believe we are involved in a war against the empires of this world. * What message is yours: the way to heaven or the reign of God on earth?"