Identification With Christ
Webster defines "identity" as "sameness of essential character; self-sameness or oneness". It is a sign of ownership but it goes much deeper than that when referring to the Christian being identified with Christ. In Christian baptism we are certainly being identified with our Lord Jesus Christ by taking on His name. But for the Christian who wants to be everything that the Lord has intended him or her to be-it goes much deeper than that.
Jesus Christ was identified with the Father in:
His Will
John 5:19: "the Son can do nothing of Himself but what He seeth the Father do."
John 5:30: "I seek not my own will, but the will of my Father."
His Speech
John 12:49: "For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak."
His Presence
John 14:9- "..He who has seen Me has seen the Father..."
His Love for Others
John 15:9-"As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love."
He Was One With The Father
John 10:30- "I and my Father are One"
There are many more scriptures- but we see throughout scriptures that Jesus IDENTIFIED with the Father in His will, His speech and His life.
Our WILLS
It really starts and ends here. If we win the battle here, we have won the war!
GETHSEMANE...Matthew 26:36-46
Jesus really won the victory here! He had to win here- over His will- BEFORE He would win on the cross. He SUFFERED His will-gave it over to the Father.
Gethsemane means “oil press”. He was pressed out of His own desires and pressed into God’s will. We must do the same!
Philippians 3:8-11
Paul identified with Jesus Christ- “suffered the loss of all things”. People love the POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION- but what about the FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERING!
The word suffering here means- "Something undergone, hardship or pain; affection, affliction". Satan has robbed the American church of something very special and essential in identifying with Christ. He has Christians deceived into believing that we should never suffer, never hurt, never need, never be misunderstood. But- look at the apostles, at Jesus’ life and more current is TODAY’S Christians in hostile and restricted nations. Just try and tell them to just confess they are not persecuted; that they haven’t just lost a limb or a family member. ALL THROUGH scripture the Word says we will suffer many things! But we can have victory through it all! There are many ways that Christians go through suffering but we all must go through it the same way- identifying ourselves with Jesus Christ, putting our trust and faith in Him that He will bring us out- either in this world or the next. Death is foremost on the Christians' minds that sit in prison cells for the sake of the Gospel. They have already decided in their hearts that if they die- they go to be with the Lord and if they live it will be for the glory of the Lord. It doesn't matter to them. They have already identified with Christ. Their minds are made up.
Fellowship comes from the word koinonia meaning "From partnership, participation, communion". This all causes us to BE CONFORMED into HIS IMAGE- IDENTIFICATION. Our wills must die first!
1 Peter 4:12,13-"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."
Gal. 2:20- we are crucified with Christ- we no longer have a RIGHT to our self. We are identified with Him in DEATH.
I personally believe most of the things we go through on a day to day basis-are orchestrated by God-or used by God-to get us to identify with Him. Think about it—those things we “suffer”, we go through- God is using them to try to get us to identify with Him.
He is coming for His own- something that looks like Him! He is not coming to rescue us and then change us. He wants us CHANGED NOW. We are changed from glory to glory. Our lives are proving grounds, testing grounds.
We as Christians need to get our act together. We must realize who we are and Who we identify with. We must set priorities in our lives that prove that we identify with Christ and we need to live up to those priorities.
We need to be IDENTIFIED with Christ.
SUFFER our will, our rights and our desires.
Jesus Christ was identified with the Father in:
His Will
John 5:19: "the Son can do nothing of Himself but what He seeth the Father do."
John 5:30: "I seek not my own will, but the will of my Father."
His Speech
John 12:49: "For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak."
His Presence
John 14:9- "..He who has seen Me has seen the Father..."
His Love for Others
John 15:9-"As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love."
He Was One With The Father
John 10:30- "I and my Father are One"
There are many more scriptures- but we see throughout scriptures that Jesus IDENTIFIED with the Father in His will, His speech and His life.
Our WILLS
It really starts and ends here. If we win the battle here, we have won the war!
GETHSEMANE...Matthew 26:36-46
Jesus really won the victory here! He had to win here- over His will- BEFORE He would win on the cross. He SUFFERED His will-gave it over to the Father.
Gethsemane means “oil press”. He was pressed out of His own desires and pressed into God’s will. We must do the same!
IDENTIFICATION in His death and His sufferings
Matthew 20:20-23--They would drink of His cup, His sufferingsPhilippians 3:8-11
Paul identified with Jesus Christ- “suffered the loss of all things”. People love the POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION- but what about the FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERING!
The word suffering here means- "Something undergone, hardship or pain; affection, affliction". Satan has robbed the American church of something very special and essential in identifying with Christ. He has Christians deceived into believing that we should never suffer, never hurt, never need, never be misunderstood. But- look at the apostles, at Jesus’ life and more current is TODAY’S Christians in hostile and restricted nations. Just try and tell them to just confess they are not persecuted; that they haven’t just lost a limb or a family member. ALL THROUGH scripture the Word says we will suffer many things! But we can have victory through it all! There are many ways that Christians go through suffering but we all must go through it the same way- identifying ourselves with Jesus Christ, putting our trust and faith in Him that He will bring us out- either in this world or the next. Death is foremost on the Christians' minds that sit in prison cells for the sake of the Gospel. They have already decided in their hearts that if they die- they go to be with the Lord and if they live it will be for the glory of the Lord. It doesn't matter to them. They have already identified with Christ. Their minds are made up.
Fellowship comes from the word koinonia meaning "From partnership, participation, communion". This all causes us to BE CONFORMED into HIS IMAGE- IDENTIFICATION. Our wills must die first!
1 Peter 4:12,13-"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."
Gal. 2:20- we are crucified with Christ- we no longer have a RIGHT to our self. We are identified with Him in DEATH.
I personally believe most of the things we go through on a day to day basis-are orchestrated by God-or used by God-to get us to identify with Him. Think about it—those things we “suffer”, we go through- God is using them to try to get us to identify with Him.
He is coming for His own- something that looks like Him! He is not coming to rescue us and then change us. He wants us CHANGED NOW. We are changed from glory to glory. Our lives are proving grounds, testing grounds.
We as Christians need to get our act together. We must realize who we are and Who we identify with. We must set priorities in our lives that prove that we identify with Christ and we need to live up to those priorities.
We need to be IDENTIFIED with Christ.
SUFFER our will, our rights and our desires.
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