Who Are You....Who..Who..Who...Who? I Really Want To Know!

Taught last night at North Glencoe Singles group. God was good and God was in the house. I have never gone there to teach, that God did not come and work among us in a very special and unique way. Each time is different and I have to keep myself out of the way, trying not to inject my agenda into what God is trying to do. Thanks to David and everyone there. Keep on keeping on!

Last Saturday night, we began a study in the book of James. James, if you didn't know, is one of the three portions of Scripture that made up the foundation of A.A. I hope to have the message from Saturday night up in the pod cast section of this blog by Friday, so check back and give it a listen.

In Verse 1 we read:
James, a bond servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.......

I use to read these intros to the different New Testament books and think that the guy who wrote it was just trying to warm up before he got to the good stuff. You know...kind of filler material until the real meat of the word shows up. How wrong was I?

James is stating a great truth. He is a man who has come to understand his position in Christ. Jesus was James half brother. How'd you like to have Jesus for a brother? "Why can't you be like your brother, Jesus?" Or "Jesus makes his bed up, why can't you?" Just based on the fact that they were siblings probably caused some friction between them. But here............here in Chapter 1, James opens with the most unique statement. He calls himself a bond servant of God and of his half brother, who he no longer looks to as kin but as the 2nd part of the God head...........Lord Jesus Christ.

A bond servant was someone who was a slave, but was given their freedom by their master. Rather than choosing to leave, the slave made a declaration of wanting to remain in the service of his master, thus he would be called a bond servant. A bond was created between the salve and master. Here James is saying that he has laid down the "half-brother" title because he realized that Jesus has truly set him free through salvation and redemption. Rather than use his new freedom to feed his sinful nature (or flesh), James has chose to remain a servant of Christ. To live his life for the Kingdom of God.  James knew well his position in Christ.

There are a lot of people today who do not know how they fit into the Kingdom of God. All they know, and sometimes want to know, is that they are saved. But knowing who we are brings great comfort to me and also becomes a weapon I can use against the enemy. In Matthew Chapter 4, Jesus being tempted in the wilderness, when the devil came to him the very first thing he did was to question who Jesus was.
"If you are  (see that?) the Son of God, turn these stones to bread." If you are? Of course Jesus is the Son of God. But the enemy was trying to divert Jesus' attention from listening to his Father, to take care of one of man's most basic needs......food. Jesus knew all to well who he was and it was this knowledge that kept him from falling into the enemies trap. We would do well to remember who we are when the devil comes to challenge us. Who are we?

Because of Christ's redemption

I am a new creation of infinite worth

I am deeply loved

I am completely forgiven

I am fully pleasing

I am totally accepted by God

I am absolutely complete in Christ

When performance (how I live my life) reflects this new identity

That reflection is dynamically unique

There has never been another person like me in the history of mankind

Nor will there ever be

God has made me an original

One of a kind

Special person

And so are you.....

God on you....

mb