* Five Core Human Needs: Security - Who can I trust, Identity - Who am I, Belonging - who wants me, Purpose - why am I alive, Competence - what am I good at?
•Everything hinges on security and starts with a question of WHO, not WHAT.
•You should find your security ultimately in God and then trustworthy people and yourself.
•JOHN 12:36 - Security to Identity - trust in God leads to a change in who you are.
•*KEY* Until you answer the question of security you’ll never discover your true identity.
•Security - I can trust God - He’ll never fail me.
•Identity - I am a child of God - He’s my Father.
•Belonging - God wants me because I’m his kid.
•Purpose - I want to bring Him glory - He gets the credit.
•Competence - I can do whatever He wants me to do cuz He’ll do it through me.
•Notice the end of the verse - Jesus then was hidden from them.
•The only way you can make it through a tough time in your life is to find your security and identity in Him.
•JOHN 14:1-6 - TRUST in God. This is security.
•THREE Examples:
•JOHN (John 13:21-25) Look at how John referred to himself.
•He found his security, identity, and sense of belonging in Christ and it fueled his purpose (glorifying God) and competence (writing Scripture).
•John didn’t identify himself by “what” he did, but by “who” he was because of “who” loved him.
•On the island of Patmos he was all alone, but he never failed in his faith.
•PETER (John 13:36-38) - Peter found security in himself - Christ had to break him of this.
•*KEY* Before you can come to know who you are in Christ you need to know who you are apart from Him.
•DAVID (Psalms 62:1-2, 5-8) - Four times David referred to God as his rock or refuge.
•Consider who David was at this time - a wealthy king who was married.
•Three things you should NOT find your ultimate security in:
•POSITION - Finding security in your position causes you to always strive to be the best, and when you’re not you have a hard time handling it.
•We’re called to “give” our best, and let God decide if we’ll “be” the best.
•POSSESSIONS - Finding security in possessions leads you to see yourself as an owner and not a steward.
•PEOPLE - If you find your security in people then three things take place:
•1) You become a people-worshipper.
•2) You then become a people-pleaser.
•3) You ultimately become hardened toward people because people will fail you.
•*KEY* Finding your security in God relieves the pressure off the people in your life.
•For married people, your spouse was never meant to be the source to meet all your needs - only God can do that.
•MATTHEW 18:2-3 - To place your security in God, you must become like a child.
•Like my niece Macie - if her mom puts her down or leaves she freaks out.
•Why? Because her entire being is wrapped up in her mom. She’s only secure when she’s around.
John 12:36 (6/3/17)
Discovering Your Identity Through Security
June 4, 2017 • Benham Brothers
Why Genesis?
January 6, 2019 • Benham Brothers
NEW BEGINNINGS - a message of encouragement from God to His kids (the Jews and Jesus) about the new phase of life in which they were about to embark * God to the Israelites: * The Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land. * What message would God have for them? * God downloaded five books into Moses, one of them went back to the beginning - Genesis. * The Jews needed this book to create a solid foundation for their new life. * Many scholars believe that the Israelites fled Egypt around 1450-1440 BC. * They also believe Moses wrote Genesis around 1400 BC. * KEY - Whatever God forms He fills. * But there’s an order to how He does it: * Illumination - Separation - Habitation. * He did this with all of creation - the earth first and then mankind. * Gen 1:1-2 - He created the heavens and the earth. * But the earth was FORMLESS - God needed to FORM it. * The earth was VOID - He needed to FILL it. * The Six Days of Creation are all about Him forming and filling. * 1) ILLUMINATION: Gen 1:3 * 2) SEPARATION: Gen 1:4-9 * * light from darkness * * waters below from waters above * * land from water * Illumination and separation prepared the way for habitation. * 3) HABITATION: * vs 10-31 - Vegetation, Animals, Humans. Day 1 - Heavens and the earth (nothing but water) - He lit it up and split it up! Day 2 - Sky - He separated the waters above and below Day 3 - Land - He separated the water from the dirt - vegetation was a part of this Day 4 - Stars - Gen 1:14-18 - Before habitation he had to create government so people could keep things separate. Day 5 - Fish Day 6 - Animals & Man * EXAMPLE - ADAM: God did with Adam what He did with the earth. * vs 2:19-20 - ILLUMINATION - no helper was “found” - he was looking. * vs 2:21 - SEPARATION - feminine was removed from masculine. * vs 2:22-25 - HABITATION - and they lived happily ever after. * FLOOD - when God brought the flood He set the earth back to its original form (full of water) - He removed Separation. (Genesis 7:21) * APPLICATION: Illumination - Separation - Habitation * 1) Walk in the light. Spend time with God in prayer and the Word. * 2) Stay separate from the world. “Be holy for I am holy.” * 3) When we walk in the light and remain separate we live in God and He lives in us.
Matthew 16:17-19 (2/4/16)
February 4, 2016 • Benham Brothers
• The disciples were expecting Christ to establish a new kingdom. • But He let them in on His plan - it was to build a church. • They knew what "ekklesia" meant: • 1) an assembly of Greek citizens that governed a city or district. • 2) the congregation of Israel when gathered for religious activity. • He didn't stop there - He let them in on the entire role of the church: • WHO - anyone who made the same claim as Peter. • WHERE - the "gates" represented power and authority - City Hall. • Gates of Hell represented the places where Satan exercised power and authority. • WHAT - keys represent access to authority. • The church would get access to God's authority. • The church could bind what was free (evil), and free what was bound (good). • CHURCH - "a religious governing body made up of Christians who exercise God's ruling authority on the earth." • This means there will always be a fight.
Mark 16:15-18 (3/15/18)
March 15, 2018 • Benham Brothers
* Christ’s last words on earth were a commission for believers to be Kingdom Advancers in this world. * vs 16 - it starts with belief. To believe is to “commit.” * vs 17-18 - Just as Moses had signs that accompanied him as well as the apostles in Acts, so will we as believers. * Signs represent to the outside what is true on the inside (like a skin disease). * Signs make the invisible visible. * Here are the signs that will accompany believers to show the POWER that’s inside them: * 1) We WILL cast out demons - this is a matter of AUTHORITY (the “right to use power”). * The power of God in us will overcome the power of Satan in others. * 2) We WILL speak in new tongues - this is a matter of CLARITY. * A believer will talk differently - it will be in a way others can understand. * We can also speak in prayer tongues if we’re open to the Spirit’s leading. * 3) We WILL pick up serpents with our hands - this is a matter of BRAVERY. * We won’t walk in fear - what others fear won’t affect us (there’s no mention of snake bite). * 4) IF we drink poison, it won’t affect us - this is a matter of IMMUNITY. * The things that are meant to harm us won’t because of the power inside us. * ** Persecution - when others want to harm us it won’t. * ** Purity - the stuff of the world won’t affect us on the inside (like a hose that’s on inside a mud hole). * 5) We WILL lay our hands on the sick and they will recover - this is about COMMUNITY. * Believers will be conduits through which God brings healing to others. * We not only have the power to do it but also the desire.