Am I Me

SCRIPTURE:

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:17)

DEVOTIONAL:

The most important thing a believer should know after being born-again and filled with the Holy Ghost is faith. It’s one of the most important subjects to learn and master in our Christian walk. At least four times in the Scriptures it says, “The just shall live by faith.”

As a believer, Have you ever asked the question, what’s going on on the inside?
What I mean by that is as soon as you become a follower of jesus christ, there’s a debate that takes place you against you.
We ask the question really, am I me. I mean, am I going crazy now that I’m a christian?
Well, the beautiful answer is, no, you’re not.
In fact, what has happened is that these thoughts that you’re thinking like, did I just think that or did I just do that?
You begin to realize that who you once were is not the person who you are today. What’s happened?
Well, the fact is, you know your name, you know your idea, you know where you live, but what has happened is that you’ve got a new identity.
You see when you come to christ, the struggle begins, you become a brand new creature, a new creation in christ.
And so what I want you to think about in this message is this very wonderful truth though.
God has given you a new heart and you have faith in christ God’s word.
The bible is what gives us a new mind.
Or can I put it this way, a renewed mind, Why do we stress the bible?
Because we are to be studying the word of God, because by the word of God, our minds are renewed.
So I’m gonna ask you to grab your bible dive into this study and keep this thing in mind now that you’re a believer, There seems to be two people inside of you and how you feed upon the word of God will depend on how you win this war.

It’s vitally important. You’re not going crazy. The truth is, m I me the answer is yes.
Now in christ jesus, but to keep that going and growing, I should say is the word of God.
So dive into it. No, it and study it and by doing so, you will find out that you will have victory over that other person you once used to be.
So let’s get started. You know, I grew up at a time when you saw somebody talking to themselves, you got away from them real quick.
They’re either drunk, drugged or nuts or all of the above.
But nowadays you see people, they’re walking jogging, talking, sitting there talking, there’s nobody there, but they’re talking away and you’re hoping that you get the angle of perspective that you can see, oh they haven’t here.
They’ve got Bluetooth, I thought we had a live one here. Um, but how about this?
You pull up at a stoplight and you see somebody talking in their hands are going and uh and you wow, they’re really involved in a conversation there.
You know what’s interesting about us as believers, we don’t have an ear piece in and we may not even be on the Bluetooth and we’re talking away, our hands are flailing around in the car were talking to God were crying out to him.
Now, I know just now just saying that someone’s going to record that and use it in court against me someday you see how nuts he is.
He’s nuts. He’s admitting that he talks by to God by himself. Yes, it is true. It’s called prayer.
It’s well documented, It’s in the Bible, but you may be finding in your life as you’ve been growing along with Christ that, you know more of his word than you ever have before.
But listen, you have a healthier opinion about yourself and God now than you did maybe three years ago or five years ago or 10 years ago and that is used to think you’re okay and if somebody stuck a microphone in your face and asked you if you’re a Christian, you would say yes, and you’re quite proud about that.
But now, as you’ve walked along and grown along in, jesus christ, you still confess that you’re a christian, but there’s a great sense of humility to that.
Now, you’ve never known more, you’ve never been closer, but there’s this war, there’s this life, there’s this existence on the inside of if I know God, if I’m a child of God, then why this and many people struggle with what we’ll call doubts.
I hate to use that word, but their remedy by drawing closer to jesus and understand what the bible says.
It’s great when a believer has doubts because a believer goes to the bible and gets them answered.
Now look, if you’re not a christian today, maybe you’re a very religious person, maybe you’re a very moral person.
Maybe you’re somebody I don’t know. You have some pedigree of some sorts.
Listen, unless you’re born again, you will not see the kingdom of heaven, jesus said, Well, pastor, my you don’t know.
My grandfather was the founding member of the first baptist, Costal church of Los Angeles. God doesn’t care.
God doesn’t care. Well, I’m the best citizen in the county.
Says who God doesn’t care, jesus said, You must be born again.
And the moment that that happens, your life will be one of a great and sanctified contradiction as you live your life.
It’s quite remarkable. So, number one, let’s dive into this.
The question is, am I me is paul’s take away from this.
We see in verse 13 the first argument, and it’s this it is when it comes to the law of God, who am I?
When it comes to the law of God.
He writes in verse 13 has then what is good become death to me?
He’s speaking about the law that which is good.
By the way circling your bible bible students, the word are the mentioned reference to good.
He’s talking about the word of God God’s will, expressed in the word if you want to know the will of God for your life, it’s easy to find out.
Oh, pastor, I’ve been fasting, I’ve been praying just to find out God’s will for my life. Great.
But have you been reading your bible while you’re fastening brain?
He will speak to you when he mentions and references the good.
It is the word of God. So then is what is good. The word of God become death to me.
He says perish the thought. Certainly not. But sin watch.
This is what good the word of God does sin that it might be.
It might appear sin was producing death in me notice it’s death that is revealed by sin.
God’s word doesn’t kill you. Sin kills you. But God’s word will address it. Follow with me.
Watch this producing death in me through what is good. So that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.
When I pick up the bible and I start reading, watch this.
When I pick up the bible, I start learning things about myself.
I do not exactly read this book when I open it up and find out what’s in it.
It reads me and I find out about myself, you know what I find out that my mind is prone to disaster.
Bad thoughts, selfishness, anger, lust, um temperament. Don’t look at me like that.
Every the bible says every single one of you are just like me. You think thoughts of lust.
You think thoughts of selfishness, what’s in it for me? And that’s a problem yet.
That’s why jesus went to the cross. What about the law of God. Did it kill me.
Oh no, no, no, it didn’t kill you. It just revealed that you were dead, mark this down.
Let God’s law be your judge.
You know, we live in an age right now where everybody feels like they got a license to judge everybody.
And yet everybody is saying, you know, don’t judge, don’t judge, but everybody’s judging. It’s kind of funny.
It’s actually one big ginormous emotional joke because the fact of the matter is God is the only one who can judge.
You’ve got to be perfect to be able to judge. That’s why I wouldn’t want to be a judge.
Think about the ramifications of the day of judgment when a judge stands before God in that position of power.
The bible speaks the thing, same thing about pastors and teachers teaching the word of God what I teach you do I live, God’s word knows this because God knows this and the law of God watch this market down.
If you would is the judge. It’s the bible that judges us and church family. Listen up.
That’s a very good thing. Be very happy that the final judgment does not lie in the hands of men.
Thank God, there is no mercy with man.
But God’s got an answer for all of this. Holy God gives us the Holy Law.
And as David Cried out many times that he would throw himself into the mercy of God verse 13 says has then what is good become death to me, perish The thought.
Certainly not so paul is drawing our attention to the fact that God’s law is so divine, so perfect, so pure.
But friends, listen up. God’s Law never promised.
Nor did it ever declare that it could save you from your sins.
God’s Law never said it would take you to heaven.
But listen, if you begin to say I am so good, I have so achieved in this spiritual journey that most of the stuff in the bible doesn’t apply to me, my friend, I’d like to introduce you to jesus christ.
You need to be born again because you cannot think that the law is gonna get you into heaven and you think you have faith in christ the longer you walk with jesus, I think 46 years now, I’ve been a christian and I gotta tell you, I gotta be honest with you, I got to give glory to God 46 years.
It’s never gotten boring for me. It’s never gotten dim. I’m closer to christ now than I ever have been.
Here’s the deal. I’ve never thought less of myself. I’ve never felt more small.
I’ve never felt more of a failure. Why?
Because when you get near to him, you become very small, very small.
I should be teaching you like this right now.
Moving over here because as you draw closer to him, he is his glory and his holiness that is revealed through the law is the very thing that says to me, Jack, you’re a sinner and I’m convicted.
And when the initial conviction comes as a nonbeliever, you start thinking thoughts, I gotta stop living like this.
This isn’t right. What if I die like this?
And God begins to speak to you, Let God’s law judge you.
And you just remember that by the way back in romans chapter seven verse seven, the bible says, what shall we say then?
Is the law sin? Certainly not.
On the contrary, I would not have known sin, except through the law, wow! The law.
The law of God is the great reveal. Er It’s not the great saver, it’s the great reveal.
Er And I likened it to a mirror. You look at a mirror.
I know exactly. When was the last time you looked at a mirror?
You looked at a mirror just before you came here today.
And some of you even looked in the mirror when you parked your car just before you got out.
You just and you looked and then you got out and you might have even looked in the mirror in the bathrooms?
Why were you looking at the mirror? Why honestly white? You lie you all. You lie like where?
It’s all the same thing. How do I look? Everything okay right before I come out here.
Always go like this. Make sure there’s no bats in the cave.
Oh, come on, you do the same thing.
You look at the mirror to see if anything’s wrong now.
I don’t know what, I have something wrong with me, I guess. I don’t get it.
But I lisa all my life I’ve walked around with food on my face.
And the reason why is I can’t feel my face. My face is absolutely numb.
It’s just I don’t feel anything. It’s always been that way I can cut myself shaving.
And it’s like, oh my gosh, I look in the mirror and I’m like, you know, donating blood, something strange.
And when I get food on my face, I don’t know, I don’t know about it.
And so lisa is so sweet, lisa listen, we’ve been married 43 years.
Uh Listen guys get a pick a woman who will go go like this, you’re out to dinner with friends and she’ll go, she’ll look at you and she’ll go and I know it’s like I’ve got spaghetti noodle hanging there, something’s going on, whatever.
And I can’t feel it. I can feel it. And but without her it would be there.
And before I knew I could later eat it for lunch, who knows?
I didn’t know it was there. It was not revealed.
And I didn’t feel it because I was insensitive to it until I looked in the mirror and this is the mirror of God.
You look at this book and this book speaks to you and you see that you’ve got a noodle here and you’ve got a booger there.
And you’ve got a you’ve got a dirt here.
And God speaks and he does that because he loves us.
God’s word, lovingly judges us and shows us what’s wrong.
And if you run away from him, if you if you are intellectually dishonest with yourself and with God, you don’t wanna hear anything about this, because you’ve got such a grand view of yourself that you don’t want to be disappointed.
And God is saying you need to look at reality and you need to come to know me.
and Paul. His 1st 12 verses of this chapter is all about the life that was And from verse 13 on, it’s all about the life that is as a believer.
It’s profound. The second thing is this churches let God’s love be your assurance when it comes to the law of God.
And the question of who am I.
And in this conduct is that even me Let the love of God be your assurance.
Verse 13 continues and says, but sin, that it might appear sin was producing death in me through what is good God’s law, magnified sin.
And right now, today, you’re saying, Honey, why do we come here to this church?
Did we get the wrong address? I don’t like it here. I want to go soon.
Somebody might be sitting here today saying what’s going on. Something’s happening to me on the inside.
And I don’t like it. But I also know I need it. What’s happening? The Holy spirit is at work.
He’s using the bible and watch what happens if you think you’re something and all of your religion is nice, fine tidy and just predictable and you consider God pretty privileged to have you in the in the crowd, Jesus met such people Luke.
Chapter five listen to this verse 30 Luke five verse 30 and there were scribes and Pharisees complained against his disciples saying why do you they’re questioning jesus, Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners wow!
Leave it up to a bunch of religious thugs to question jesus.
Hey, where do you get off hanging out with I. R. S.
Agents and bad people and jesus.
I come on if this is the first time you’ve ever heard the bible, you gotta fall in love with them right about now.
Watch what happens, Jesus answered and said to them.
Those who are well have no native of physician, but those who are sick, I’ve not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.
Think about you. What if you were in that crowd right there.
Hey, what’s going on with you hanging out with these tax collectors and bad people.
I mean you’re pretty good from what we gather. What are you doing with them?
Hey, no problem guys, I’ve come to save those who need saving.
Oh don’t worry about it guys, I’ve come to be a physician to those who are sick.
Don’t worry about it. I’ve come to rescue those who need repentance.
He’s giving them the right answer, but it’s bouncing off their thick head.
They saw themselves as self righteous and I find it wonderful when you stop and realize that a follower of christ is somebody who understands that nobody is perfect but God and yet none of us will live a perfect life until we die.
We gotta die before that happens. Read your bible carefully that in the meantime here’s the dividing point.
A the true child of God will still pursue perfection with christ.
He or she is driven by the holy spirit to please God.
And even when we fail God, it grieves our heart.
But like the old song says pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back, you know in the game again, so to speak, The believer realizes every day that you and I wake up as a true believer.
It’s Lord, I want to live for you and we don’t, we know that it’s not our strength, it’s God’s grace that gets us through And when we sin, I’m gonna explain this in a moment.
You confessing Is this a confession? Our this is a confession.
I’m gonna confess for you too that when we get up as believers so close to jesus and we’re heading on the right path, doing everything right, the world is watching and they think we’re stellar.
But inside we allow a temptation to take up habitation for a moment. It could be seconds.
That turns into minutes That you might spend 10 minutes 20 minutes and your mind has gone down the path.
Listen, you have gone from temptation which every one of you who are breathing are subject to temptation is hitting you.
But what you do with it determines if you’re walking close to Jesus or not.
And as you walk close to jesus, the temptation hits and you fight it off.
You love God. You read your bible, you sang him some praises, you got worship music on your getting on the freeway and some knucklehead cuts you off and immediately.
Well, that guy. And then the Lord will say, what about our devotion?
Come together, We’re having such a sweet day, Jack.
Lord, Lord, you are so right, forgive me, forgive me. That’s Am I me?
That’s the old me, Lord. I don’t want to be me of the past.
I don’t want anything to do with the me of the past. I recognize him too much.
And Lord, I now confess that to you. And I ask you to forgive me.
And in an instant, according to the word of God, our fellowship is restored and that leads to him being our guide.
Let God’s light be your guide. Verse 13 ends with this.
So that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. So do you remember the mirror?
Look, the mirror reflects what is on you and what you look like. No one ever washes.
Are you listening church? No one ever washes their face with a mirror.
If you try that, you’re gonna get hurt. God’s Law.
God’s word shows us we see it and we see what needs to be dealt with.
The mirror cannot save you. The mirror tells you the law cannot save you, the Law tells you.
So, listen, isn’t that quite startling if you’ve been born and raised in some sort of a religious atmosphere by which you think if you’re good enough, then God’s happy with you.
If you can somehow pull off the scheming as it were of.
If I do just this much good on monday and it to mitigate the bad I did.
And then Tuesday I’ll try to do even better.
Hey, listen, thank God, the bible makes it very clear that you and I cannot live like like that because God doesn’t operate like that.
Listen, the truth of the matter is living the christian life, walking with christ it dispels the darkness in our lives.
Come on, let’s be honest, there’s darkness that constantly invades and bombards our way of thinking, but light reveals not only the darkness and that it dispels it light reveals sin when you look into the Mirror of God’s Law.
God’s Law was designed by God to point out to you and I are great need of his salvation.
Listen, the law cannot save you.
It is impossible, nor does the bible ever promise that you can be saved by keeping the law.
So I want to encourage you.
Listen, God wants us like our original mom and dad, Adam and Eve to walk in the light.
That’s why Jesus came until you and I die and go to heaven.
I’m assuming you’re trusting in christ that when you die you will immediately be free from the labor of this body.
This body right here, this skin that you and I are contending with as a christian, we drag this around, always bringing it under the control of christ right?
But when we fail to do that, what do we do? We ask God to forgive us.
We get right back up and walk in the light.
We do not mope about and we do not try to do some sort of penance to earn God’s favor.
Again, we walk with him. Every parent does this with their child, your child is your child and you love them.
Even if they do bad, but it’s the parents desire for them to do good.
It’s God’s desire for you to do good and christ, jesus does the good in you.
Listen, if you’d like to have more help with your walk with jesus christ.
That’s why we’re here, go to Jack Hibbs dot com, You’ll find content there to help you.
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