Identification Truths
Courtney Hemenway · Apr 2, 2006
Identification (2005-06), No. 26
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4826234811356

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

I just want to go over something. If you don't have the hungry heart, I read it and a couple of days ago they had this one. I thought it was apropos to our class which is on identification. This was the tyranny of sin and I'll just read a little bit of it. It was just a good summary of I think what we've gone through and again the review part a little bit. It will be much shorter.

The tyranny of sin over the lost necessitated the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross. The tyranny of sin over the saved necessitated the death of the believer in the Lord Jesus on the same cross. The dual truths of Calvary, His death for our sin as payment, our death with Him unto sin for deliverance.

The believer sees that Christ by dying for him has completely delivered him from the penalty of sin. So it is his privilege to see that because he is identified with the Lord Jesus in that death, he is also delivered from sin as a ruling principle. Its power is broken. He is in that sense free from sin.

Through my life union with Christ in his death and resurrection, I have died to sin. His death to sin is my death to sin. In my very humanity, Christ so took me up with Himself in death, that when He died unto sin, I too was executed, and there died to sin's reign and power. Has Christ so dealt with sin that He has exhausted its every claim and dominion? And do I share with Him His death unto sin?

With bold and explicit reckoning, then let me count on my death-resurrection relationship to God. Through the Lord Jesus, in Christ crucified, I have been discharged from sin's domination." Again, a lot of what we've been going through, our identification with Adam, and the result of that is we needed to be crucified, and then our identification with Christ, and our death to sin on the cross. So that was just a summary of where we've been over the last several months, and now we're into the... the benefits of that identification, the 34 possessions that we have immediately upon our belief in the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you need copies, they're going back. We're going over Lesson 22 today, and I think we made it through a whopping four questions last week. So we are on question number five. And this will be interesting because I wonder... See, this was a little bit different. Mike actually... develop these questions, and then I actually did the lesson for him. So I'm curious if Mike and I saw the same thing. So this will be a little bit interesting.

I don't know why I volunteered for this. I said I'd take this on. He will. He will. He'll tell us immediately. Why don't we do one thing. I have it up here somewhere. Let's go through the verses real quick. Where do you want to start? Peggy, you want to start?

We'll go through 1 Corinthians 3.11.

Mike, you want to do Ephesians 2.20? Peggy, you got 3.11? Are they on there? Okay.

Norm, if you want to get 2 Corinthians 1.21.

Brian, you want to do 1 Peter 2.4-7? Okay. Peggy?

1 Corinthians 3.11 For other foundations can no man lay, than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2.20 And being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone.

2 Corinthians 1.21 Now that he which stabilizes us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, God, is God, who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. Alright. Um. Alright, let's go down to question number five. In 2 Corinthians, and I think there was a typo, 121, not 221, I think it was. So, in 2 Corinthians 121, what does the word establish mean? And again, it's, Now he who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. What does establish mean?

Actually, it was kind of Norm's translation there. Stabilized? Yeah, actually, that was... What translation was that? That was the King James. Yeah, it's kind of funny. Actually, I usually use the New American Standard, which seems the more literal translation from the Greek, but the actual, the establishes is stabilized. And I'm getting so bad. I'm glad Laura isn't here. Somebody from our Greek class. Baba yo-o. Yo-o?

It's to stabilitate. Stabilitate. I are an engineer. From Webster's, it's basically to make stable or a firm foundation. So, interesting. the tense of it. It is present tense. Remember what present tense is? What that means? Continuous, incomplete action. Okay? It's a present tense. So, now He who establishes us with you in Christ. Okay, so what that means by present tense is, now, past, now, future. It's a continuous action. He continues to stabilize or establish us in Christ. It's a continuous action. That's great. That means all the time, anytime, 24-7. And the other, which was the voice on this one, is the active voice. You know what the active voice is?

We're going to get you trained in all this. I'm going to get you a little cheat sheet that Winnie had. Oh, you got my cheat sheet? I gave you the cheat sheet. Oops. You know the cheat sheet. Actually, this was from Winnie. She got it in the Greek class and it was great. This little thing fits right in your Bible. It's great. So I'll try to make some copies of that because it really does help when the Greek geeks go out here and we say what Tansen voice and what it means. She had this really nice little concise thing that shows it. It's the active voice. Does anybody know what the active is besides Craig? Who has the cheat sheet back there? Oh, you've left my cheat sheet. Active voice?

Who does the action? That's what that means. Actually, in the act it means the subject produces the action. So, that leads into question six. Who does the work? Remember now, He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us a spirit in our hearts as a pledge. So, who does it?

God. Yeah. See, this is great. God does it, and he does it continually. He continually establishes us, or stabilizes us, in Christ. It is a wonderful verse. Have we seen this pattern before? Who's doing the work? What was the answer? God. What are our efforts? Rest, exactly. We don't do anything. We rest in Him. He's the one who establishes, stabilizes us in Christ.

The giveaway on that too is a capitalized HE, which didn't fall over into your copy on the printout. Oh, it didn't? The HE indicates that too. Yes, actually. Yeah, on mine. I didn't even see it. Yeah, it's capital he. Or Hal, he'd be diagramming this, and the subject is God.

God is the one doing the work. And God continually does this. That's a fantastic thing. Again, the old man wants to do the work. New creatures in Christ, God does the work. We rest. And verse after verse after verse after verse tells us that. And yet the old man just screams and wants to do something. We already did what was required and that was to believe in Jesus on the cross and all the rest of this happened. And this is the 34 things. Right. These are the 34 things we have. This is on the rock, but these are the things we just received. It's nothing we did other than believe. That's exactly right. Faith and the belief. That's all that's required.

And yet, so many people struggle. They don't have the peace, the joy, and the rest that is there. It's not something you have to work for. You just rest. It's He who does the work and He's the one who does it. We don't have to exert great effort other than rest. I don't know how much effort that is. And enjoy all of it. Enjoy. The peace that passes all understanding.

We learn about this in the Holy Spirit. Who's the one who actually enacts it in us? It's the Holy Spirit. Remember, for those of you who went through the study on the Holy Spirit, again, He's the one who enacts it in us. That's the one who actually takes the Word and works within us to work it into us, these truths. And again, it's not as much our effort, it's the Holy Spirit doing this.

I don't want to confuse the issue, but do you think that rest is always hard? part of our experience, because I'm thinking about, maybe all of us can, but I can think back on situations in my life where I know I'm resting in God, but I feel like I'm on this ride that's a roller coaster. And so you try to rest, but at the same time you're very aware of the wind in your face and the decline of the roller coaster or whatever.

I can identify amazingly with that. My life, even before I knew the Lord, was great ups and downs. I all stayed in soccer and lacrosse, great athletic things. great awards in academics and stuff. But there are some things in my life, my parents, and drinking in our family, and lots of just incredible lows. So I was doing this. When I came to know the Lord, that was one of the first things that I realized, was a leveling out of life. The great ups and the great downs became much more level. But even in the Christian life, There were struggles and things. Mike and I have talked about this.

The thing now, the rest and the peace, it doesn't matter what's going on. You can still have that rest and peace. Bob Strom, Hal, all these ones who are going through significant things in their lives. What I'm saying with you is that internally you're at rest, but externally you can be experiencing this in-claim, de-claim, in situations around you, but internally you're at rest with it, you have a peace. Yeah. I think it's what you're driving at.

Yeah, I mean, you know, we've talked, if the Lord decides to take everything away, are you still the same? I mean, do you still have that peace and rest as when He blessed you with everything? And that's what, you know, a lot are going through right now. I mean, and so, even though it's out, you know with Bob, You just sense that peace with him. Even what he's going through, you sense it.

That's the thing that we have, this peace, this rest, and what we're talking about is on the solid rock, this firm foundation. You know, that's where we're at. It doesn't matter what's going on. You're working from a position of rest. And so, just what you see in Bob Strom is what exemplifies what we're talking about. Even though you're going up and down, I mean, I guess the circumstances are going around you, up and down, but you have a rest, a peace that the world doesn't comprehend. Those are the things that draw us to him. And if we didn't have those trials, we'd probably have a tendency to just kind of drift off. Yeah. And we won't be free of those until, like Wayne Black, he's no longer in the presence of sin.

Exactly. And, you know, not a tear will be shed, you know. What's that? Let go and let go. Do you think it's important that, because this word establishes in the present tense, that the establishing is going on constantly? Oh yeah. We must know and we must believe, and this is beyond just salvation. Do you agree with that? Oh yeah. And that's where I think a lot of people get on the boat. in salvation, that's what I'm constantly amazed at, is so many believers believe that the Lord can save them, but after that they're on their own. And where does that come in?

Well, that's the old man, number one, who is saying, you know, yeah, that's great, but you still need me, you still need me, bud. Let's walk on down the road and work at this thing. This establishing is a constant process, and a lot of it is the trials.

Remember last week, one of the few verses I memorized, the James, they consider it all joy, my brother, when you encounter various trials. What was it to? That you may be perfect and complete. That's what these trials, it is to, as Hal says, peel off the levels of the onion to get down to who you are, a new creature in Christ.

So yeah, there are circumstances that go all around us. My life still has... There are still things that go on left and right and up and down and all around. But I tell you, I've got a lot more peace now than I've ever had. And rest. It's not the work. There are struggles. There are things that go on. But it's from a position of rest and peace. Then it doesn't matter. If the Lord decides to take everything away, it's okay.

It's hard to convince people. In our Tuesday class, sometimes we've gotten into that a little bit. Do you really believe that? Some are being exposed to this. It could be that they'll be home with the Lord. Do you have rest in that? Or are you still holding on to this earth? And I think the Lord uses this to get you to that position of rest. And sometimes it takes you to a point where that's all you have. It's what I call the Nebuchadnezzar syndrome.

When he looks at it, does everything, and then, wham, he's down with the beast of the field. And he's there until what? He looked up. Until you finally get to that point where it's like, okay God, let go and let God. It's to that point where you have the rest. He's in control and he's the one doing it. That's where you work from a position of rest and that's where he'll begin to use you more and more. When you're from that position of rest, when you're standing on the rock, the firm foundation.

Number seven, where does he do it and what does that mean? Now he establishes us with you in Christ, and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge." Okay, where does he do it? In Christ. I love this. Once you start really looking at Scripture, and especially a lot of Paul's epistles, well, mostly Paul's epistles, in Him, in Christ, in Him, in Christ. That's all you see. It starts popping out left and right. It's in Him, in Christ, in Him, in Christ. It doesn't say a whole lot about you other than being in Him.

And what does that mean? It means you cycle back around in Him, but it cycles back around to your faith in that Cycles back, I was trying to think. Well, what I'm trying to say is it's in Christ, so our part, just alongside with our rest in that, is right alongside of our faith in that.

Yeah, the rest will come with us being in Him, or the more we rest in Him, it's kind of the parallel track You know, it goes back to who establishes us and where that's done. I mean, God is stabilizing us, we're in Him. So, the track is, God is doing it, and what is He doing? He's stabilizing us, and where is He doing it?

In Christ. So, yeah, I mean, all of this boils down to the faith, well, knowing first, and then believing. It's a parallel track there. Knowing and believing. You know He's the one doing it, and then do you believe it? And that goes all the way back to the eternal covenant between the Father and the Son, where He knew us before the foundation.

In Ephesians, that finally made sense, I think last week or something, with the selection and the chosen and all that. When you look at that verse, it's in Him. All that is true, remember what we've been talking about, all that's true about Christ is true about you. So, once you're in Him, all that's true about Him. Eternity past, eternity in the future and present. So, yeah, that's where, I mean, He's known us from, well, that's once we're in Him, He knows us because He's known Christ from all eternity. Yeah.

Don't you agree that this is our identity? Oh, yeah. Right. In fact, what does it mean? My answer was, we're identified with Christ. That was it. We are identified with Christ. In Him. Christ is our identity. Yes. And just what we're saying, everything that's true about Him is true about us. So that is our identity. That's who we are identified with. That is who we are. We are new creatures in Christ. We are the same without deity. He was the first of the new creation. Oh yeah, I mean, without that identity, we're battered about left and right.

And again, the more you rest, the more peace you'll have. And see, the thing that always amazes me is, we have that, and why do we fight that? It's the old man who fights that. Because he wants to do something. He wants a purpose and a worth in the Edenic life. And so all the struggles come from that side.

Peace and rest and joy come from the new creation. I like to think of it in practical terms, that I am a part of his body. I am now face to face with his body. All these things are amazing truths. When you grab a hold of those, those are the amazing things.

When you rest in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is when I went through this Holy Spirit When we're starting to look at that, it's the Holy Spirit who makes this all happen in you. It's the Holy Spirit. Anytime it's our self-effort is when we fail. That's when we don't have peace, we don't have rest. We're working. The wheels fall off the wagon. What does it mean to be anointed? Can I tack on another question and maybe an observation? Sure.

Up there in Ephesians it's talking about being built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets and Christ himself, chief cornerstone. And maybe some other people here have a little more insight, but the foundation of the apostles and the prophets in some arenas There's this term called veneration. They'll venerate or honor the apostles and the prophets in a different sense than maybe a lot of other evangelicals do. Does anybody have any insight into that?

I know the Catholics do that. Obviously with Peter and The Rock and with them. Isn't there actually a church right over here, the Apostolic one right on Yale? I don't know of anyone who really uplifted other than I see the name the Apostolic one, which maybe uplifted them more than... They literally believe that their leader is a direct descendant of Jesus. Yeah, which when you actually get the definition of what an apostle is, I don't know how that works.

I think the verse that addresses that is one that's in the next... chapter we're going to deal with, or the next lesson, is John 17, 20, and where the Lord says, I don't ask on behalf of these alone, but for those who would believe in me through their word. And I think there refers to the disciples who are being taught now, and from them goes, like Paul said in 2 Timothy, commit these things unto faithful men. So that's how the sequence is, and it works down through the time. I don't know if you heard that, but basically in John 17, 20, where from the works of the disciples, Christ is asking that from their word the church will be built.

The other one that I looked at too was kind of an interesting one in the Apostles and the Prophets. The Prophets were from the Jews and the Apostles were from the Gentiles, Jews and Gentiles, and kind of two walls of the foundation with the cornerstone being Christ, the keystone of the foundation. So the Apostles and Prophets come together, and the Prophets of old with the Jews, and then the Apostles with the Gentiles coming together, joined by Christ the Cornerstone. So again, but the teaching and everything, that forms the foundation of what we believe, I mean, Paul and others. So, I don't know if that answered. Alright, question eight.

What does it mean to be anointed? And they all spoke up. Anointed means to be appointed. Appointed? Yeah, that's one. Any others? indicates more of a personal relationship, to be anointed. Yeah, I mean the anointing is, individually we're anointed, and equipped. It's like an assignment to a god. It's an assignment, and therefore you're equipped. In fact, we'll get to that. That's very good. Any others? Yeah.

Was the oil symbolic? Yeah, covering. It was symbolic of what he was going to do when he came to America. Actually, it was a covering by the Holy Spirit, but we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It was an oil anointing with an oil. And as King David was anointed, it was for certain services. All these are coming exactly right.

Actually, my little Greek geek. It's Creo is the word and through the idea of contact is smear or rub with oil. An example by implication to consecrate to an office or religious service. So, basically both. The anointing was, in the Old Testament, by oil. This consecration is to an office or religious services, the definition of the anointing. There's one of your questions, what are we anointed to?

Yeah, I think we get to that in a couple. You float around in the music circle some. I've dealt with that word for years because I hear it thrown all over. It's a sonnet. It's a goosebump term. I haven't heard that one. A goosebump term. I like that.

You know, you're around musicians and they'll say, I'm speaking of Christian musicians, and they'll say, And I spent years wondering, what do they mean? What's inspiring them to make that classification? And a lot of it is, in my estimation, they can be very keen on their instrument and their talent, very good with a crowd, very good at crowd response and involvement, and therefore they are anointed. And that really drove me into a study at one point on the word, because sometimes it can get wrapped up into an emotional frenzy almost, as far as what it means.

And I think that to me it became an off-base terminology. Well, and a couple things too. I think, you know, a lot of times it's That's more an earthly or human anointing. When you look at this, who does the anointing? And it happens a lot with some speakers on TV. The tighter shot you get with a camera, the more anointed it becomes. That's right. Focused anointing. It's like all flavors of anointing are somehow less than anointing. So here's the thing about the Holy Spirit. All believers are anointed. Yeah, and God is the one who does it. A lot of times it's kind of corrupted in that, you know, man, we have anointed you. A lot of times it comes like that and that's not... It's God who does the anointing, and it's to a service.

The other one is, I look back, is the tense on this, which is aorist. And it kind of goes to what Craig was saying, you're a little bit more anointed than I am, and we're going to have a little bar graph here of your anointing. The aorist tense, it's a past completed action.

One comparison in that field, too, is if you sit in a movie theater and listen to the music soundtrack, and then eliminate the soundtrack, you can have a whole different reaction to that movie. The music brings you along. And that's totally secular use of music. was the guy that was appointed to arrange the score and put the orchestra together for that soundtrack, was he equipped and anointed and so on and so forth to be able to do that talent, apply that talent to achieve that purpose? Any more so...

From a secular anointing? I mean the word gets distorted sometimes. I think it does. And a lot of times, you know, What I want to point out, and kind of what Craig says, I think a lot of times, boy, you're really anointed. You're a little anointed. It's not that way. We are fully equipped, fully ready for the service that He has. And it's not that you get a little bit more anointing. It doesn't say anything about the degree. You are anointed by God. Past completed action. It's done. So, you know, it's not a relative thing of today, tomorrow. You are anointed.

I always get a kick out of when I have nothing better to do and I listen to one of the local preachers who has a large operation over in Florida. But when he gets to a point where he wants to make his words really be known, the organ comes out and goes, da-da, da-da, again. And I figured he was being really heavily anointed. Yeah, and then anointed by the telephone number where you can donate, right? That's right out of the Black Gospel Yeah, just a couple thoughts there. In the Old Testament, the anointing included the guys who made the tabernacle and the instruments on it, and the priests who served at the tabernacle.

And all of that, by the Holy Spirit, represented by the oil for that anointing, they were empowered to make God look awesome. And isn't that the same today? That now the Holy Spirit shows us Christ, and how awesome He is, and how loving, but the focus is that we would rest, that we would believe, and that includes all believers. And so rather than now God is austere, God is personal, and the Holy Spirit is anointed.

And that's what we were talking about last week, I think, you know, that we can come and cry, Abba Father. I mean, we have that intimacy. We're priests now. Which we're getting to. If I can get through this in the next seven minutes. Don't worry, Mike, you don't need to worry about it today. Pressure's off. Yeah, pressure's off. We're going to tag team. Alright, I think we got to this.

Who does it and why him? I think the why him is kind of interesting. And I'll be curious if this is what Mike wanted. Who does it? God does it. And why him? Why does he do the anointing? Yeah, why him as opposed to the Holy Spirit or somebody else? I'll be curious to see actually Mike's answer on this.

This is one of those ones I was telling you last week. I didn't know exactly what Mike wanted, but I looked at it. Does that mean you have an answer? I do have an answer. I do have an answer, but I don't know if I should... Mike, what was your answer on this one? I don't know how to say it. I know. Huh? I had it.

He's bringing us to Himself. He's satisfying His holiness. Well, I'll give you my answer and then watch Mike beat me up. God anoints us because He is commanding or consecrating us to the same service as His Son in whom we are identified with the work carried out through the power of the Holy Spirit. So God is commanding us to the same service, same as Christ. So that's why God anoints us to that service. Because it's the same thing as His Son, we're identified with Him. And now the answer is? That's exactly the right answer.

And where it comes from, it's out of John 17 when we studied that. The Lord says, I have given unto them the words which you have given me, and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from you, and have believed that you sent me. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to you, Holy Father. Keep them through your name, those whom you gave me, that they may be one. Ah, here we go. Verse 15, I pray not that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. The verse I'm looking for, oh here we go,

18. As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world to do exactly what he did, which is to manifest the life of God. And you have to be anointed for that. And it's God doing, I mean, as He did with Christ, He does with us. So that's why God does the anointing. What verse was that? 17, 18. 17, 18. Zoom in on here, because we have like four minutes left. Can I just add one to that? Yep. My name is the Antichrist, St. John. This is my son. Who I am well pleased.

Oh yeah, we talked about that, you know, in Tuesday class. You know, how does that Abba Father and all that, what would He say to us? What would He say to us when we go face to face? He'd say the same thing to every one of us, in whom I'm well pleased. I mean, talk about the goose bump moment. I mean, that's when you hear God say that to you, in whom I'm well pleased, when He looks at you.

In 10, in 2 Corinthians 1.22 it says, He sealed us.

How is that of benefit to us? Seal, yep. How is that of benefit to us? Our relationship is permanent? Yep. Yeah, I mean it's a permanent, the word, it's red, Zidzo, to stamp with a signet or private mark for security or preservation, literally or figuratively, by implication, to keep, basically to seal them for their security and confirmation. It's a permanent sealing, it's a...

So we can leave... We can believe that, or we can trust in God and have faith in what he says and grow, instead of being stagnant. I think a lot of people don't believe in that security. That's why they don't move forward. I think it's basically in this is to give us the permanency, the security. It's not going to be taken away. It's not going to be removed in any way, shape or form.

We have the stamp of God on it and who's going to overcome the stamp of God? Who's going to overcome this security that we have in God? The reason I asked that question I think was to go back to who does the work, and the stamp isn't just a signet and wax. The stamp is a person. He stands there as the guarantee, not only a guarantee as to what he feels or says.

Alright, we have one! Yay! We have one. We have one winner. He's not only the guarantee to us, but in the verse it says that he's been given, gives us the spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. The guarantee is for us. That we are persuaded by him that we are secure and sealed and that the growth process that's going on is of him only and because it's of him it's a guarantee.

They are confirmed by the Holy Spirit. He does establish Christians in the faith of the Gospel. He has anointed them with His sanctifying grace, which in Scripture is often compared to oil. He has sealed them for their security and confirmation. He is given as an earnest in their hearts.

An earnest secures the promise and is part of the payment. The illumination of the Spirit is an earnest of everlasting life, and the comforts of the Spirit are an earnest of the everlasting joy. The veracity of God, the mediation of Christ, and the operation of the Spirit are all engaged, and that the promises shall be sure to all the seed, and the accomplishment of them shall be to the glory of God, for the glory of His rich and sovereign grace, and never failing truth and faithfulness.

Quickly, what does it mean that we are a holy priesthood? And the last one. What does it mean that we're a holy priesthood? We're anointed. We're anointed for service. We're able to go before the throne of God. All Christians are a holy priesthood. The Apostle speaks here of the generality of Christians and tells them they are a holy priesthood. They are all select persons. sacred to God, serviceable to others, well-endowed with heavenly gifts and graces, and well-employed.

A priest represents man before God. And then quickly, my wife is giving me a leering look back there in my time. What do holy priests do? Just what Mike says. What Mike says. They represent God. Yes, they are before God, in His service. So, that's what we do. We represent Him in the world today as a holy priesthood between man and God. Everyone does. Everyone, yeah. Every believer. Every believer has that.

All right, we made it, yes. So next week we have, if you need, we have lesson 23. If you don't have that, I've got one or two up here. All right, why don't we close real quick. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time. Father, we just thank you that we are on the rock, the firm foundation. We thank you that as we learn time and time and time and time again, it is not our efforts, it is you and the Holy Spirit working that into our lives and we rest in that. We just enjoy the peace knowing that it's nothing that we do other than believe. We just thank you that we are a holy priesthood. We represent you.

We are in your Son, and we are thankful that you have anointed us. And Father, we are excited about all that we have in you. It is amazing. It is something that the world can't even comprehend. And we just thank you again for this time, and we look forward to this day in you. And we just commit this day to you in Christ's name.