moody church

The Apostle Paul has been leading us through a grand celebration of the Gospel: in Christ, by grace and through faith, we have been reconciled with God and with one another. We are alive as God’s sons and daughters. We are unified as God’s family, Jews and Gentiles together in this multi-ethnic family of God. All of this is—as Paul puts it in Ephesians 3:11-12—through “Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.” And now, having celebrated our bold, confident, access to God through Christ, Paul decides to show us the way as he launches into one of the most powerful prayers recorded in all the Bible. In this sermon, we look at three key points about the power of prayer. 1) The Basis of Prayer: There are two images at the start of the prayer. First, “I bow my knees” is throne room imagery. Second, what’s interesting is Paul says we are bowing before the Father, which is family imagery. This imagery reiterates that now, in Jesus, the blessings of God’s promise to all the nations has come true: God brings salvation to Jews and Gentiles together as one new family by grace through faith in Christ. Our Father loves His multi-ethnic family. So come to Him like you’re wanted, because you are! 2) The Grace of Prayer: In the middle of the prayer, Paul articulates three prayer requests drawing on the imagery of hospitality, botany, and maturation. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are cultivating their abiding life in us. God gives us Himself, to make us like Himself, so he can give us even more of Himself, so we become just like Him! 3) The Confidence of Prayer: How do we know we’re not just wasting our breath? How can we have confidence in our prayers? Our triune God is our hope, now and forever.   The Father’s grace. The Spirit’s power. The Son’s love. Our God is doing it all, to the praise of His glory! Takeaway: Pray like your life depends on it—because it does! Prayer is our lifeline to God and our abundant life in Him. Only the Father, Son, and Spirit can take us, this multi-ethnic family, and cultivate their abiding life in us so that we become glorious children of God. Ephesians 3:14-21

The Apostle Paul is writing the letter to the Ephesians from a Roman prison because the Jews in Jerusalem accused him of fraternizing with Gentiles. And here in Ephesians 3:1-13, Paul tells us it’s worth it! All the sufferings for the Gospel, all the hardship, pain, loss, and imprisonment, every bit of it is worthwhile…because of the wonder of the Gospel. The Gospel story is worth it all! How can this be? We’ll explore three ways that this passage encourages us that the wonder of the Gospel makes it all worthwhile. 1) Spirit’s Mysterious Revelation: The Gospel is God’s plot twist. It’s the mystery hidden in plain sight that one day, in Jesus Christ, the true Son of Abraham, all the families of the earth would be blessed: Gentiles and Jews alike, one new family in Jesus, by grace and through faith. No one saw that coming! 2) Christ’s Unsearchable Riches: What God planned in secret from the dawn of creation and kept hidden until just the right moment, when in Jesus Christ God brought all the loose ends of history together in the greatest “aha” moment of all time! The French call it the dénouement, the part of a story when everything finally makes sense, and all the loose ends are tied off and the plot comes to resolution. The Gospel is God’s dénouement. All the mystery and questions and loose ends come together in perfect resolution as Jesus Christ takes the stage and the Good News is proclaimed to the nations! The hope of Israel, the light to the Gentiles, was always Jesus all along. 3) God’s Cosmic Purpose: There’s a cascade of revelation in this passage. The Spirit revealed this Gospel to Paul the good news that in Christ the Gentiles are included in God’s people. Paul revealed that Good News to the Ephesians of as he preached to them the unsearchable riches of Christ. And as Ephesian Jews and Gentiles believed that Good News and placed their trust in Jesus, this multi-ethnic church came into being. And now through the church God is revealing, making known his manifold wisdom “to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” Now, who are these rulers and authorities? God is making His manifold wisdom known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places—the supernatural cosmic powers (angels and demons)—through His church. The Gospel is God’s triumph.   Now here’s what’s amazing: this passage is like a grand crescendo, ending with the cosmic triumph of God before the hosts of heaven. But where does it start? With the Spirit’s revelation of the Gospel to “the very least of all the saints.” God’s cosmic triumph comes through the least of all the saints. God took an ordinary sinner saved by grace to preach the Gospel of Jesus, to form His multi-ethnic church, and to narrate God’s cosmic triumph in the universe!   Takeaway: We are enacting God’s wonderous Gospel story!   You’ve been invited into the greatest story the world has ever known. You get to be a part of this Good News!   Ephesians 3:1-13

In this sermon from Ephesians 2:11-22, we’re going to see the glorious truth of what that salvation means for our relationships with one another. Salvation works on both a vertical and a horizontal axis (like a cross). Salvation reconciles us with God, and it reconciles us with one another. Salvation isn’t just about “I and me…” It’s about “us and we.” Three key points from this passage:   1) Alienation   The Gentiles were strangers to God’s covenant blessings, despised by God’s covenant people. In other words, the Jews were “in,” the Gentiles were “out.” Paul says that at one time, those fleshly distinctives mattered, but no longer. 2) Reconciliation Because of what Christ has done, those fleshly distinctions no longer matter. In the wonder of God’s grace, the Gentiles have been welcomed into the new covenant that is in Jesus’ blood! In Christ, God has reconciled Jews and Gentiles to Himself and with one another. 3) Incorporation The same grace that reconciles us with God also reconciles us with one another. And this reconciliation is far more than a ceasefire, it’s a cessation of hostilities, and the beginning of a interdependent and loving multi-ethnic family. We are the Temple of God’s Holy Spirit! And as this multi-ethnic temple is being built up, joined together, Jews and Gentiles are incorporated together. As one Temple, we display the glory of God! God’s glory is revealed through His multi-ethnic church. Takeaway: God has adopted us; now we must adopt one another.   Friends, Jesus paid an infinite price to make us family! Don’t let human tribalism destroy the family that God has brought together. God has adopted us; now we must adopt one another. We must learn to love God’s family beyond our natural tribal boundaries. Ephesians 2:11-22

A few years back a friend of mine in Washington State had a near death experience. In God’s mercy, he survived. And I asked him how it had changed his perspective, and this is what he told me: “When you’re a dead man, and God gives you your life back, it means He’s got a purpose for you.” And that’s what Ephesians 2:1-10 is all about: we were dead, but God made us alive, which gives our lives new purpose. 1) Dead The Bible offers a robust understanding for the origin of sin and evil. It arises from three things: human choices, cultural influences, and supernatural oppression. All three are simultaneously at work in a way that doesn’t negate the others.   Spiritual death is ravaging our lives, our families, our neighborhoods, our cities, our nation, and out world. And all that brokenness arises from human choice, cultural influences, and supernatural oppression. We need a solution that addresses all three sources of evil at once. But we can’t do it on our own. Apart from grace, we are hopelessly dead. 2) Alive Only God can provide the solution we need: when we were hopelessly dead, God made us alive together with Christ. In God’s mercy, love, and grace, He made us alive together—Jews and Gentiles—with Christ, one new man in Him. And not only that, He raised us to newness of life and seated us in the Heavenly places. Because of grace, we are gloriously alive. 3) Purpose For what purpose has God shown us his mercy, love, and grace in making us alive together with Christ? God made us alive by grace, in order that he might show us more grace! We’re saved by grace and for grace. Grace is the means of our salvation; and grace is the end of our salvation. God’s purpose all along was to make you a new creation in Christ Jesus. And as a new creation we are to walk in newness of life in the good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Through grace, we have transforming purpose.   Takeaway: Grace grows godliness. Friends, God has purposed that you will one day stand before Him holy, blameless, and glorious. You will one day see Jesus face-to-face and be transformed into His glorious likeness. Even now, your Father has prepared good works that you might walk in them. And every step of the way is by grace. Ephesians 2:1-10

Did you know that as a follower of Jesus Christ you have a secret identity? By grace, through faith, in Jesus, you are a son or daughter of God! You are royalty incognito. You are an eternal being hidden in time. You are a Titan in this everyday world. You say, “But I don’t feel or look very much like a Titan…” We think that Titans are supposed to be mighty, skillful, beautiful, and glorious. But, we feel like none of that’s true of us in the moment. Oh, but one day it will be! When we see Jesus face-to-face, we shall be transformed into His likeness: splendid, beautiful, radiant, and glorious. We’ve been given a secret identity! Sons and Daughters of God! To the praise of His glory! How is this even possible? How can it ever come to pass? How do we know our secret identity isn’t just wishful thinking? In Ephesians 1:15-23, Paul shares three ways we can be confident that this secret identity will one day be revealed in glory: 1) Prayer Our growth is grace. Our growth is dependent on the living God who gives generously to His children when they call upon Him in prayer. So, we must pray. We ask, we seek, and we knock, for without grace, there is no growth. 2) Perspectives Our future is glorious. We need the Spirit to reveal the glories of our Father and what those glories mean for us, His sons and daughters. We have so much to look forward to, it’s that eternal perspective that we need to keep in mind. 3) Power Our destiny is grounded. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead, and seated Him at the Father’s right hand, and enthroned Him above all, and exalted Him before all, and subjected all things to Him, beginning with the Church and ending with the universe; that same immeasurably great power, God is working toward us who believe. This means that our destiny is grounded. The immeasurably great power of God that defeated sin, that same resurrection power is working your glorious future as well. So, we too have resurrection, ascension, enthronement, and exaltation! Takeaway: We will be our true selves. One day, our secret identity will be revealed for all to see. And we will finally be our true selves: Children of God. Ephesians 1:15-23

To be alive in Christ is nothing short of a miracle! And it didn’t just happen; there was a purpose, a plan, and a promise. In fact, as the Apostle Paul is about to tell us in Ephesians 1 all three Persons of the One Triune God—Father, Son, and Spirit—have been collaborating from eternity past to eternity future on this very project of Salvation which is now ours by grace through faith in Christ. It took all of Heaven to work this miracle to make us alive in Christ! And as the Apostle Paul begins his letter to the church in Ephesus, he breaks forth in one of the most beautiful and transcendent choruses of worship to the Triune God who has saved us and made us alive in Christ. And it’s all to the praise of His glory! Paul begins Ephesians 1 with a prayer of blessing that will saturate their minds with the truth of the Gospel and stir up their hearts in the worship of God. In so doing, Paul reminds them (and us) of three things: that we are chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and sealed by the Spirit. 1) Chosen by the Father The Father has chosen you for adoption. He chose you! He picked you! He wanted you! And in making you His son, He’s called you “Beloved.” He’s drawn you to Himself. He’s destined you to be well-pleasing in His sight. You are His from before the dawn of time until beyond the ending of the world and every moment in-between. You are His forever and always. 2) Redeemed by the Son The Son has redeemed you for union. God’s plan all along was to unite you to Christ. So that His life might become your own, and that you might come alive in Him. 3) Sealed by the Spirit The Spirit has sealed you for inheritance. You are branded as God’s very own. You bear His image and likeness. You are adopted as a son. You are sealed by the Spirit. Takeaway: Our Salvation is to the praise of His glory. All God’s saving work is for your good and His glory. Before time began God knew you, loved you, and chose you. He set His affections upon you, and purposed that you would be his child, that you would be with Him, holy and blameless. It’s why He sent you Jesus as your Substitute, your Redeemer, your Savior, your Lord, and your King. It’s why He sealed you with the Spirit—to be his very own possession—as a guarantee of all the glory to come, so that in the end He might share all that He is and all that He has with you. It’s the procurement of your good to the praise of His glory! Ephesians 1:3-14

The letter Paul wrote to the Ephesians is all about what it means to be “Alive in Christ.”Have you ever wondered what it would take to come truly alive? To be alive in Christ is to be abundantly alive forevermore. In this series through Ephesians, we’ll be exploring this topic in detail. The Book of Ephesians begins with a salutation that’s typical of 1st century correspondence. The author, Paul, is identified as writing to the church of Ephesus, the recipients. Paul starts the letter with a greeting: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” And that’s how the letter simply begins. But before we get any further into the letter, we need to first understand a bit of the setting and context of this letter. These are real people, corresponding in the real world, in light of real challenges. 1) Splendid Beginning: The Ephesian church began with Gospel power and transformed lives. They had transitioned from death to life, from darkness to light, from magic arts to following Jesus. Their conversion was dramatic, radical, and decisive. The truth of the Gospel had won their minds, and the love of Jesus had won their hearts. 2) Sobering Warning: The Ephesian church was in danger of losing the truth of the Gospel and the Love of their lives. Paul warns that the church is going to come under attack from fierce wolves from without and from twisted teachers from within who will lead people astray. He implores them to be alert and to pay attention to the direction of the flock. How are they to do this? By holding fast to “the word of his grace.” And so, Paul writes a letter that will turn out to be their sustaining grace. 3) Sustaining Grace: The Ephesian church must hold fast to the truth of the Gospel with all their heart as if their lives depend on it. What’s their secret weapon? The Word of His grace in action: “Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” Friends, this is our secret weapon, our only weapon; this is our only and all sufficient guide for faith and godliness. Takeaway: God’s Word is grace. The Scriptures are the nutrients you need to grow healthy, strong, and tall in Christ. The Bible is your secret weapon against false teaching, growing cultural pressures, and with suffering coming for you. Read it. Meditate upon it. Study it. Wrestle with it. Memorize it. Surrender to it. Abide in it. Live in it. Those nutrients will ensure your flourishing. So, take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. It’s your only weapon after all. Ephesians 1:1-2

The resurrection changes everything. But for many people, the resurrection is just a fact until we get the call with the goodness that changes our lives. In this Easter Sunday sermon, we explore 3 vignettes of people when they first discovered the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. The resurrection had already taken place, but these are the three moments when they found out it was real, and it would change their lives forever. 1) Mary’s Encounter: She suffered from severe demonic possession for many years. And it was Jesus who set her free. No one understood her like Jesus; He understood her trauma and pain. He was the one person in the whole world who’d seen her at her worst and lover her just the same. So, when He was crucified and buried, her lifeline to freedom and healing was severed. On resurrection morning, she was weeping and felt alone. But on that morning, she found the tomb empty, and when she met the resurrected Lord, something deep changed inside, and a joy welled up inside her that she couldn’t stop talking about. The resurrection turns sorrow into joy. If the resurrection can turn a Friday crucifixion into the glory of Easter morning, just imagine what Jesus’ resurrection can do for you, your sorrows, your story, and your life? 2) Thomas’ Encounter: Thomas was one of Jesus’ 12 disciples. He had a lot of hopes and dreams of what Jesus might be and do, like restoring Israel to the glory days as her Messiah and King. But all of that came crashing down when Jesus was crucified. On Friday, Thomas’ dreams had died. After the resurrection, Jesus had come and appeared to his disciples in person and shown Himself to them, but Thomas wasn’t there that day. And when the others told him Jesus was alive, he didn’t believe them. But then Jesus shows Himself to Thomas and shows the nail holes and the scars. And, just like that, Thomas goes from someone too afraid to hope to making the boldest statement of worship contained in the Gospel of John: “My Lord and my God!” The resurrection turns fear into faith. If the resurrection can turn Thomas’ fearful skepticism into worshipful faith, if the resurrection can turn the fear of death into the wonder of eternal life, just imagine what Jesus’ resurrection can do for you, for your fears, for your future, and for your life? 3) Peter’s Encounter: Peter was another of Jesus’ disciples. And on the night before Jesus was betrayed, arrested and crucified he’d made some bold pronouncements. He’d told Jesus that he’d never disown Him, that he’d stand by His side no matter what, that he’d die for Jesus. But when the chips were down, Peter faltered. He denied Jesus three times. And Peter, realizing how badly he’d failed, went out into the night and wept bitterly. Then on resurrection Sunday, Jesus restored Peter, saying “you once thought you were strong enough to die for me, and you discovered your own weakness. Follow me, and I will give you the unflinching courage to both live and die for me.” The resurrection turns shame into courage. If the resurrection can turn Peter’s cowardly shame into bold courage, if the resurrection can turn the shame of sin into the forgiveness, freedom, and courage, just imagine what Jesus’ resurrection can do for you, for your shame, for your sin, and for your life? Takeaway: The resurrection is only a fact until Jesus calls your name. The resurrection is full of the life-changing power of Jesus. But it’s only a fact until Jesus calls your name. And when you hear His voice, and realize He’s come for you, and you turn to Him, it’ll change your life. Is His Holy Spirit stirring in your heart? Do you yearn to be alive in Christ this day? John 20-21

Throughout this series, we’ve seen how our orphan hearts tend to look to everything but God for the significance, security, and satisfaction we long for deep down. We’ve seen how we look to people, power, and possessions to know who we are. And, how they all end up letting us down. But the good news is that we don’t have to live like orphans in this universe, always fending for ourselves. Jesus has made the way back home to our Father. He died in our place and for our sake. He exchanged identities with us. And He rose again so that we can come home to the Father by grace through faith in Christ. Which means we can now live, not as orphans, but as children of God. Our truest, fullest, deepest, thickest, most durable and robust identity is simply to be: A child of God. And as we wrap up the series, we’ll explore a few final insights on living as a Child of God.   1) The Worship of Identity: Every single one of us has a sense of identity, a sense of self in this wide world. Now, what’s interesting is that those 3 deep identity needs engage our hearts in distinct ways: We tend to serve whatever promises significance. We tend to trust whatever promises security. We tend to love whatever promises satisfaction And just look at those words: serve, trust, and love. Those are words of devotion. Where we find our identity, we give our devotion: our service, trust, and love. This means that there’s a deep connection between identity and worship. Identity formation is an act of worship; essentially, we are what we worship. We can’t form our identity without doing theology because identity formation is an act of worship. The only question is: Who are you worshipping, and as a result, who are you becoming?   2) The Weight of Identity:   Throughout this series, we’ve been talking about the three primary strategies we use to get our deep identity needs met: people, power, and possessions. There are internal and external dimensions to each one of these methods. This distinction between internal vs external helps us understand some of the differences between traditional, community-oriented cultures and late-modern, individualistic cultures. In traditional, community-oriented cultures, the focus is on the external. If you want significance in the community, if you want security in the tribe/nation, if you want satisfaction in life, then live into the expectations of your family and people group and you will receive honor, prestige, and leadership in the community, and have a happy and fulfilling life. But notice it’s mostly external validation. In late Modern, individualistic cultures, it’s just the opposite… the focus is on the internal. If you want significance, value yourself. If you want security, trust yourself. If you want satisfaction, treat yourself. In traditional, community-oriented cultures, the question is, “Who do I need to be for my community?” In late Modern, individualistic cultures, the question is, “Who do I need to be for me?” And in the West over the last century, we’ve been experiencing a decisive shift from external strategies to internal strategies. The reason is simple: if you build your identity externally, you’re vulnerable. A creation-based identity is vulnerable. So, it’s not without reason that people have been shifting to an internal strategy for their identity, because it’s so much easier. But the problem is this: A self-created identity is crushing. This idea of forgetting what others think and just pleasing yourself sounds good on paper, but in reality, our own opinion just doesn’t carry enough weight. All the self-acceptance, self-approval, and self-applause comes up short. We can’t escape our need for outside validation. A creation-based identity is vulnerable. We’re orphans worshipping the creation, and it leaves us vulnerable. A self-created identity is crushing. We’re orphans worshipping ourselves, and its crushing in the end. What kind of identity is life-giving?   3) The Wonder of Identity:   A Christ-graced identity is abundantly life-giving.   When you are a child of God, you are adopted into God’s family forever. Which means that you are significant, secure, and satisfied.   Takeaway: In Christ, we become ourselves.   To be “in Christ” is to be a child of God. And the more we become like Jesus, the more we become ourselves, the selves we were always meant to be.   Romans 8:14-17 Download Identity Traps Verses: https://www.moodychurch.org/id-verses

In this sermon, we look at the 9th and final identity trap: Solomon aimed for satisfaction through possessions. King Solomon was one of three great kings who ruled over Israel. King Solomon’s story is a fascinating and cautionary tale. The story begins fairly well and things seem to be going so great, but then Solomon kind of goes off the deep end and everything starts to fall apart. It’s only at the end of his life, when Solomon looks back on all his mistakes, that he begins to see life clearly. They say, “It’s good to learn from your own mistakes, it’s better to learn from the mistakes of others.” Solomon made some big mistakes, so there’s a lot we can learn from him. We’ll look at his life in three parts: 1) Solomon’s Ascent: In the beginning, Solomon looked to the Lord for the good life. Solomon became King when he was just 20 years old, and he loved the Lord. He walked in the statutes of David his father, following his example and counsel. There was on only one small problem: Solomon sacrificed and made offerings to the Lord, not at the Tabernacle, but at the high places, like the pagan neighboring kings did. Solomon is worshipping the right God, but he’s doing so in the wrong way. Solomon knew his limitations. He knew how much he needed God. And so, he asked for divine wisdom to lead his people into a good and prosperous future. If he was to be a good king, Solomon knew he needed his Good God to be with him every step of the way. Solomon began in humble dependence on God’s grace. 2) Solomon’s Demise: In the middle, Solomon ran after satisfaction through possessions. Under Solomon’s wise leadership, Israel grew in peace and prosperity. And as the treasury’s resources grew, Solomon began building. He began by building a glorious temple for the Lord in Jerusalem. It took 7 years to build. He then built himself a glorious palace, which took 13 years to build. Solomon’s wealth and prosperity continue to compound. All of his wildest dreams have come true! But he doesn’t see the danger in it all. Instead of looking to the Lord for the good life, as he had in the beginning, Solomon is now looking for happiness in all the stuff this life can offer. He’s gaining the whole world and losing his soul. Solomon had asked God for wisdom to govern his people. But Solomon had forgotten to apply that wisdom to the governance of himself. And everything he’d built began to crumble. 3) Solomon’s Wisdom: In the end, Solomon realized God alone can satisfy. The book of Ecclesiastes is written from Solomon’s perspective at the end of his life, looking back over the collapse of his dreams. Having ascended to the pinnacle of wealth and prosperity, and having it all crumble away, he realized that it’s all empty vanity. Like trying to chase down the wind, happiness was elusive. As soon as he reached it, it slipped between his fingers and was gone. All his years of endless searching led him back home to the One he was made for, to the Satisfier of his soul, to his Heavenly Father who loves to give good gifts to his beloved children. Takeaway: Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 1 Kings and Ecclesiastes

In this sermon, we look at Naomi’s identity trap: looking for satisfaction through power. We meet Naomi in the Old Testament book of Ruth. Ruth is Naomi’s daughter-in-law. Usually, when we study this book, we’re focused in on the beautiful love story that takes place between Ruth and Boaz. And Naomi is sort of off on the sidelines like a supporting actor. But, you could argue that it’s the other way around, that Naomi is in fact the main character and Ruth and Boaz are the supporting act. After all, the story begins with Naomi and ends with Naomi, and the marriage of Ruth and Boaz is really a subplot in the greater story of God’s loving-kindness in Naomi’s life. This is the story of how an orphan-hearted widow learned to live as a beloved child of God. 1) Naomi: Bitter Naomi is desperate for satisfaction, as her broken heart gives up on people and turns instead to power.   She is bitter and burnt, because  everyone she’s ever trusted has let her down. Without a husband, without sons and a male heir at all, Naomi’s world is falling apart. So, from now on, she’s determined to trust no one but herself. 2) Naomi: Bent Naomi is grasping for satisfaction through power. Instead of waiting on God’s redemption—or Boaz, or Ruth for that matter— Naomi tries to power her way to the happy ending she so desperately wants. She’s manipulating to get her needs met. She’s done waiting, and so she’s taking control of her situation. Her orphan heart is bent on caring for itself. 3) Naomi: Blessed Naomi receives satisfaction as she learns to trust the loving-kindness of her God. In God’s time, and in God’s way, He brought redemption to Naomi as she learned to trust God her Father in childlike faith. Naomi learned that when everything is beyond her control, everything safely rests in God’s loving hands. Takeaway: Real satisfaction comes by the grace of our Father. The happiness our souls long for can never be ours through power and control. If we grasp for it, it just slips through our fingers. But our Heavenly Father loves to give good gifts to His children: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” “Ask and it shall be given to you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened to you.” Because real satisfaction comes by the grace of our Father, we can “be still and know that I am God.” Ruth 1-4 Living the Message episode: https://youtu.be/ZORXGgQYVbI

In this sermon, we turn the corner to our desire for satisfaction and how that too so often leads us into the trap of looking to people, power, or possessions instead of the ultimate satisfaction that is ours in Jesus. Our story is taking from John 4, where a find a pivotal conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman at a well. We’ll focus in on this woman’s identity trap and how it is that Jesus frees her to find true satisfaction.   1) Her Trap We find three clues to her identity trap scattered throughout this chapter. First, she’s drawing water at the wrong time of day. Second, the conversation she has with Jesus is about satisfaction, and imagery used is related to water. And third, Jesus calls out her string of broken marriages and relationships. The Samaritan woman is seeking satisfaction through people. She’s living like an orphan, looking for love in all the wrong places. 2) Her Thirst Jesus tells her that He can offer an endless supply of living water. And when she asks for it, Jesus tells her to call her husband, because her soul is a broken cistern that’s thirsty. The Samaritan woman is dissatisfied and dismissed. The string of broken relationships has no doubt left her feeling dissatisfied, with an aching heart that wonders if real love is actually out there at all. 3) Her Transformation Jesus’ last comment was so personal, so perceptive…How could he have known her romantic history? It’s nothing short of prophetic! In this moment, Jesus gets super-personal with her. He tells her:” I know the real you, now you shall know the real me. The One you’re longing for…I who speak to you am He!” The Samaritan woman is learning to look to Jesus for the lasting satisfaction her soul longs for. Jesus so loved this woman that He met her at the well, in the heat of the day, when she was shunned by others, and gently unearthed her soul’s broken cisterns in order to offer her Himself as the deeply satisfying living waters her soul was desperate for. What she could never find in matches, men, or marriages was now hers in the Messiah. Takeaway: God alone can truly satisfy. The satisfaction our souls long for is found in God alone. And Jesus is calling us to turn from the broken cisterns our orphan hearts have hewn out for ourselves, and to become like little children, drinking deeply of the soul-nourishing, life-giving fountain of our Father’s presence available to us in Jesus, who, on the cross, cried out “I thirst” in order that we might never thirst again. John 4: 5-19, 25-42

In this sermon, we explore Naaman’s security trap—seeking security through possessions. As we follow along in 2 Kings 5, we’ll discover a new and better identity as a child of God. 1) Naaman’s Hardship Naaman’s story is somewhere in the middle 60 years of Elisha’s ministry. Naaman means “gracious.” He is the commander of the Syrian army, a war hero, and held in high favor by his king. In fact, Naaman had everything you could possibly want in life, exempt one thing: he was a leper. While he possessed a great deal in life and used it to secure himself against life’s vulnerabilities, there was one thing he did not possess: his own health. But through an Israeli slave girl, Naaman learns of a prophet with the gift of healing. So, he brings his extensive wealth with him in the hopes of buying restoration. Naaman is seeking security through possessions. 2) Naaman’s Humbling When Naaman arrives in Israel, he is vexed by the prophet Elisha, who doesn’t treat him as expected. Naaman is told to wash seven times in the dirty Jordan River. Naaman wanted something money couldn’t buy, and to his dismay, he learns that possessions cannot secure his health. Naaman’s illness ran more than skin deep. On the outside he was leprous, but inside a far deadlier disease had taken hold—his heart was infected with pride. Naaman came in search of healing, but his need for healing ran far deeper than he realized. And God so loved Naaman that He chose to heal not just his body but his soul as well. 3) Naaman’s Healing Naaman is faced with a choice: to hold onto his pride and ride off unhealed; or, to swallow his pride, climb down from his chariot, take off his military raiment, set aside his possessions, and in nakedness enter the waters like a helpless child with nothing to offer and everything to receive. Naaman’s healing ultimately came through humility. In losing his pride, he gained his purity. In contrition, he was cleansed. When he stood naked before God, vulnerable and exposed without all his adornments of wealth and privilege and accomplishments. When he went into the water with empty hands with nothing to his name, it was then that the Lord healed him and made him whole. Notice: the inner healing came before the outer healing. His pride died when he in faith entered the waters, letting go of everything but the promise of God. And the healing that began in his soul was then mirrored on his skin. Only then is Naaman reborn! Naaman finds security as he learns to receive grace with open hands.   The man whose name means “gracious” learned what grace is all about: that when it comes to God, we bring nothing but our empty, dirty hands. And in His grace, He cleanses and fills our hands with his abundant gifts of life!   Takeaway: Ultimate security comes by the grace of our Father. To be possessed by Jesus is better than all the possessions of earth. To be secure in Him is, in the end, the only security that matters. 2 Kings 5

In this sermon, we look back over 3 millennia to the story of Gideon and his identity trap—seeking security through power. 1) Gideon’s Test Gideon was a tribal warrior leader-judge. His story takes place between 1179-1154 BC and is recorded in the Book of Judges chapter 6. The context of the story is clear in the opening: the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They were disloyal and broke the covenant, and so God disciplined them through the oppression of the Midianites. Before the might and strength of the Midianites, the Israelites found themselves powerless and diminished. Yet even in disciplining them, God, in His great love, calls the people of Israel back and restores them through a rescue He is orchestrating. Enter Gideon, whose name means “hacker.” We find him threshing wheat in a winepress, hiding from the Midianites.  An angel of the Lord appears to Gideon and informs him that the Lord chose him to rescue Israel. But Gideon is scared and feels powerless. He is looking for a security blanked; it’s not enough for Gideon to take God at His word, he wants a sign of tangible confirmation. You see, Gideon’s insecurity comes from control impulses, always asking God to prove Himself over and over. That sense of control makes Gideon feel safe. Gideon is looking for security through power. Deep down, Gideon is afraid and insecure. And he wishes more than anything that he could be strong and mighty and valiant, because then things would be different. Then he’d have power and he’d be secure. And all these “tests” are efforts to gain a semblance of control when everything in life seems so very insecure. Gideon struggles to trust the promises of God. He’s functionally living like an orphan. 2) Gideon’s Trust God is patient with Gideon and provides Gideon with the security blankets he needs by participating in a series of tests. So, with his fleece in hand, and 32,000 soldiers at his side, Gideon was starting to see some glimmers of hope. Maybe they could pull this off after all! But God had a different idea in mind: His whole aim was to whittle down Gideon’s army so that He alone would get the glory. God draws our Gideons insecurity through powerlessness.   3) Gideon’s Triumph God fought the battle with Midian by using dreams to fill the Midianites hearts with doom and destroy their morale. When Gideon learns that God is fighting the battle for him, he finally believes and trusts God with his fears. He knows his security lies in the power of the Lord who fights for His children. Gideon discovered real security in the power of God. He learned that “the battle belongs to the Lord.” Takeaway: True security is found in our Father’s care. In Jesus, we have a Heavenly Father who is watching over our lives with loving-care and protection.  If you are in Jesus Christ today, sin will not hold you, Satan cannot keep you, and death will not defeat you. You are secure forever in the undying love of God! You are safe always in Christ for all time and eternity! You are kept by the Spirit, sealed for incomparable glory! Judges 6-8 Questions about this sermon can be emailed to livingthemessage@moodychurch.org . If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe and give us a like! For more info about connecting with The Moody Church, visit https://www.moodychurch.org/im-new.

In this sermon, we go back 2,500 years to the Medo-Persian Empire to discover Esther’s identity trap—seeking security through people. Through the story, we’ll see how God loves her out of her orphan-hearted identity and into the true security of living as a child of God. Esther’s Secret: The story begins with King Xerxes casting his queen, Vashti, aside and seeking a new queen. In the process, Xerxes uses power to exploit and use women for his own purposes. And Esther is caught in the rounding up or young women into the king’s harem as he looks for a new queen. As she enters the palace and makes her way to the top of the system, Mordecai instructs her not to reveal her Jewish background. Mordecai is not trusting God, nor is he behaving life a faithful Israelite or protecting Esther. He’s using Esther to get ahead in Persian society. And Esther just wants to be safe, so she goes along with his plan. Esther’s identity is formed around finding security through people. She’ll be whomever she needs to be to make the king happy and know the security of his protection. Esther ultimately pleases the king and becomes the Queen of Persia. Now she’s under the protection of the most powerful man on the planet. But Esther’s problem is that whenever we try to be whomever we need to be to fit in, we’re looking for security in the wrong place, and we become orphaned from the true King of the universe. Esther’s Peril: As the story continues, Haman the Agagite enters the scene and demands that all under him pay homage. When Mordecai refuses, trouble starts. Haman notices that a Jew is refusing to bow to him, and so he schemes to make a decree that all the Jews are to be killed in a state-wide genocide in 11 months. So, Mordecai pleads with Esther to intervene on his—and the Jewish people’s—behalf. Esther realizes that if she reveals Jewish identity, her security may be shattered. Esther’s orphaned-hearted identity strategy leaves her insecure and vulnerable. Where can she turn? Esther’s Courage: Esther realizes she needs protection beyond what the king can offer, and so calls a fast, seeking the protection of her God. She schemes a way to gain the ear of the king and to put Haman’s genocidal edict on the line. She finally owns her Jewish heritage, and in so doing, steps into the crosshairs to be annihilated along with her own people. Esther’s courage reveals she’s found a greater security through a better Protector. Her willingness to put herself at risk before the king means she’s looking for her security elsewhere. She’s begun to take refuge in God, seeking His protection, and identifying herself as a child of the covenant-keeping God. And God ultimately comes through for Esther and for His people. Takeaway: The security our souls seek is found in the protection of our Father. Esther 1-7 Questions for Living The Message can be emailed to livingthemessage@moodychurch.org

The Book of Ephesians is about God's plan for the fullness of time to unite all things throughout eternity. God’s plan is the biggest logistic undertaking of all time. Against that backdrop, we get a prayer report from Paul in Ephesians 3 about the way he prays for the church. Paul's primary point is this: To grasp the breadth of the love of Christ, you need to view it alongside all the saints. You cannot get a the full view of Christ's love as an individual. Because both Jew and Gentile are now united in Christ, together we can approach the throve of God's grace to get a glimpse of His awesome love for us. Takeaway: how can we be filled with all the "fullness of God"? We need to have unity with the church to grasp the love of God. Ephesians 3:14-21 Speaker Bio: Dr. Peter Williams is the Principal of Tyndale House, Cambridge and an Affiliated Lecturer at the University of Cambridge. He earned his M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D. at Cambridge University studying ancient languages related to the Bible. He originally planned to become a Bible translator, but after seeing how many students of the Bible did not recognize its authority, Dr. Williams decided to change his professional direction and become an evangelical scholar in order to advance confessional scholarship. Dr. Williams is also Chair of the International Greek New Testament Project and a member of the Translation Committee of the English Standard Version of the Bible.

In this sermon, we look at Zacchaeus’ identity trap—seeking significance through power. 1) Zacchaeus: Lost Zacchaeus was one of the “bad guys” in the Bible because he was a chief tax collector and he was notoriously rich. Everyone knew him to be one of the wealthiest people in Jericho, and they hated him for it. And that really was the identity trap of the tax-collectors. Wealth was what they lived for. They sold out their own people. They cheated and defrauded. They lived with scorn every day. Zacchaeus built his identity around gaining influence through possessions. But wealth was their fast-track to the kind of wealth and affluence that put them on the map. People might impugn their character, but they were impressed by the wealth. The tax-collectors made that trade all day long, and Zacchaeus most of all. 2) Zacchaeus: Found Why would a rich man climb a tree to see Jesus? Think about it… Zacchaeus is wealthy and dignified, a senior leader in the world of finance. If he wanted to learn more about Jesus, he had plenty of contacts. He could have sent one of his many servants. Why is he going personally? Something is driving Zacchaeus to throw caution to the wind here. Whatever it is, it is very personal for him, and it’s worth risking his status. He’s risking the significance he’s built up through wealth and status just to see Jesus, to know who this Jesus is. Even though he has “everything,” Zacchaeus is still searching for more. And so, Zacchaeus, with a deep soul-ache, desperately, recklessness, humbly, climbs a tree in hopes of catching a glimpse of the One who just might be able to give to him the significance his soul is longing for. Of all the people in town, Jesus singles out Zacchaeus, the outcast, the scorned, the despised, the guilty, and invites himself to stay as a guest in his home. Does Zacchaeus deserve this? No. It’s grace. It’s all grace. Grace has found Zacchaeus. 3) Zacchaeus: Free After Jesus visits his home, Zacchaeus gives away half of his wealth to the poor, and pledges to repay those he cheated, not just with interest, but fourfold! He lets go of his great possessions and grabs ahold of Jesus. He calls Jesus, “Lord.” Instead of being mastered by his possessions, he is freed by the Master. Zacchaeus’ liberality is evidence that he’s found a greater treasure and a richer significance. Zacchaeus discovered his significance wasn’t in what belonged to him, but in the One to whom he belonged. Takeaway: The significance our souls desperately need is found in being treasured by our Father. Luke 19:1-10 Questions about this sermon can be emailed to livingthemessage@moodychurch.org.

We often use Bible verses out of context to find rest for our weary souls. Can you relate to that? In this sermon, we look at a passage that has much to say about finding the spiritual rest we long for. How do we enter God’s promised rest from Hebrews 4? We React in Worship: Worship of the living God gives rest to our souls. We Rest in His Work: That which we trust in will be the source of our rest. We Repent in Watchfulness: Everyone’s deeds will one day be exposed, so your response to God is what’s most important. Takeaway: God’s Word is living, conquering, and exposing so that we might see our need and draw near to His throne of grace. Hebrews 4:11–13 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

In this sermon, we look at Jacob’s identity trap: seeking significance through power. Jacob was the grandson of Abraham, and the father of Joseph. His story gives us a powerful look at the deep identity transformation God wants to bring into each one of our lives. We’ll look at three parts to Jacob’s story: Jacob’s Upbringing: Jacob’s identity is built around gaining significance through power. He wants to be recognized as the leader of the family, successful and prosperous, favored with the blessing of God. And he pursues this by scheming, controlling, and manipulating others. Jacob grabs significance by the throat and makes sure he gets it, no matter what. He won’t leave it up to chance, and he won’t leave it up to God. He wants to power his way into significance. We see this play out in the story of Esau when Jacobs steals his inheritance and manipulates Isaac into Esau’s birthright. Jacob’s Sojourning: Having enraged Esau, Jacob flees and seeks refuge in the family of Laban. It is in the care of Laban that Jacob gets a taste of his own medicine: the schemer becomes the scammed. Jacob finds himself insignificant and powerless in the face of Laban’s manipulation and scheming. And it is here that his strategy for identity begins to unravel, because building significance through power only works until someone more powerful comes along. After 20 years living with Laban, God calls Jacob back to the land of his fathers. Jacob’s Homecoming: At the age of 97, Jacob heads back to Canaan, where tensions mount again with Esau. And in desperation Jacob cries out to God for help for the first time in his life. A wrestling match ensues between Jacob and God, and they wrestle all night, not because Jacob is strong, but because God is wearing him down. God wrestles Jacob to the end of himself. And God wounds Jacob’s body to mend his soul; God wrenches his hip to bring Jacob to the end of himself, to bring him to a place of weakness, of brokenness, of powerlessness. Then, God give Jacob a new name, Israel, which means “God striver.” The name is an invitation: will Jacob keep striving with God, grasping for power, or will he finally surrender and trust God to strive powerfully on his behalf? Jacob ultimately limps into his transformed identity as he now finds significance in surrendering to God. God comes through for Jacob. God strives for Israel. And the miraculous takes place: Esau welcomes Jacob with open arms. Takeaway: The significance our souls desperately need is found in surrendering ourselves to our Father. Do you realize that in Jesus Christ your Heavenly Father has crowned you with glory and honor; seated you with Christ in the Heavenly places; and adopted you his forever Son or Daughter with an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade? You don’t have to scheme, or manipulate, or strive, or endeavor, or grasp after these blessings. In fact, if you do so, they will never be yours, for these blessings can only be received as gifts by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. The true significance our souls long for comes not through power, but through frailty; not through control, but through surrender; not through strength, but through weakness. True significance comes through childlike trust. Genesis 25-32 Living the Message episode: https://youtu.be/mIbPplr1SKA

Following Jesus is basically learning to live out our new identity in Christ. But it’s difficult because we’ve spent so much of our lives living from our orphan identities. To live from our new identity as children of God requires intention and practice. We must unlearn the heart-habits of orphanhood and embrace the heart-habits of childlikeness. To help us do this, we’re going to look at different Bible characters throughout this series, one for each of the 9 identity traps, and their journey of identity transformation from living as orphans to living as children of God. In this sermon, we look at Joseph’s identity trap: seeking significance through people. Joseph was the great-grandson of Abraham. His is an amazing story, because not only is God bringing salvation to His people through Joseph’s life-story, He is also bringing about deep transformation in Joseph’s identity along the way. The story has three key points: Joseph’s Dream: Joseph’s identity is built around gaining significance through people. Joseph wants to be great and to be recognized as such, especially by his own family. That’s Joseph’s dream. His orphan-hearted identity is to gain significance through people. Joseph’s Nightmare: If your identity is built around gaining significance through the recognition of people, what would be your greatest fear? Rejection and abandonment by other people. And when we pursue significance through this means, that’s exactly what happens. Joseph’s sense of significance is dashed as people reject, betray, abandon, dishonor, and forget him. Through each of the hard moments in his life, God is showing Joseph that people will never be able the give him the significance he longs for. Joseph’s Awakening: Joseph’s forgiveness reveals his transformed identity as he now finds his significance in relationship to God. Joseph realizes that if he has the approval of God, he can face the rejection of humanity, even from his family. Joseph learned to live as a child of God graced with significance from on high. Takeaway: The significance our souls desperately need is conferred by our Father. Human approval, recognition, popularity, honor‑—these are all cheap imitations of the real significance you and I were made for. In Jesus Christ, we have been graced with a significance that is weighty and durable and thick, because we have been adopted as children of God. We are sons and daughters of the King. Genesis 30-50 Living the Message episode: https://youtu.be/QdcmsUNpWA8