We Need Jesus For Identity

John 6:41-51

 

  1. Who are you?
    1. Are you really what you eat?
    2. Re you a simple bio-chemical machine and little more?
    3. Or is there more than what we think of as “normal”?
  2. How are you identified? (tagged)
    1. Your job?
    2. Your “look”?
    3. Your “reputation”?
    4. V42 – where you are from or what we BELIEVE we know about you from a worldly view
    5. The things of this world separate us

                                                               i.      By color

                                                             ii.      Status

                                                            iii.      Birthplace

                                                           iv.      Jon

                                                             v.      Etc

  1. Our earthly “tags” limit us

                                                               i.      So soon after Jesus had performed such wondrous miracles these “home boys” were placing limits on Him based on what they knew from their limited sight.

1.      Isn’t He Joseph’s boy?

2.      We know His mom and Dad

3.      He grew up right here

a.       He played in the mud with the other boys

b.      He worked in His dad’s carpentry shop

c.       Came down from Heaven?  From around the corner is the “fact of it”

    1. Far too often we fall prey to these labels.

                                                               i.      “I can only do so much”

                                                             ii.      “Well, after all, I am just a man”

  1. Our Eternal Identity free us.
    1. Our potential is unlimited
    2. We have eternal life
    3. Illustration with a potentiometer (dimmer switch)

                                                               i.      Left side is the “man” side.

1.      No or Little power available

                                                             ii.      Right side is the Jesus Side

1.      Full Power available

                                                            iii.      We must have Jesus in us to access the power – to turn it on.  V47 and 51

                                                           iv.      Power potential after that is only limited by how much “control” we give Jesus

1.      Philippians 4:13 “For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. (powers me) (NLT)

2.      Matthew 17:20 “You didn't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” (NLT)

a.       Knowing that a mustard seed is very small it would represent one of the lowest settings on our “dimmer swutch”, very limited power output. 

b.      What could we do with the faith of a Watermelon seed?  Or an acorn?

c.       Our faith is the true potentiometer of the power of Jesus Christ that is allowed to flow through us.

  1. The first step in this is having Jesus in you!  V51.
  2. We need Jesus for our eternal identity
  3. Is He In You?