ANNOUNCEMENTS:
December 16th: Christmas Party.
December 19th –21st: Disney Trip! On Wednesday we are going to MGM, and on Thursday we are going to Magic Kingdom. We will be coming back home on Friday. If you pay a $50 deposit this coming Sunday and sign the parental consent form the total cost of the trip is $215. If any later, then the cost is $245. Your children don’t want to miss this trip! It’s going to be a blast!
Next Week: Guys discipleship starts @ 5pm Sunday night before service.
Questions: Call me @ 904 887 2307
(Message Outline from XP3.org)
THE MESSAGE
Last night was our second part in the series Attached. We are all attached to something. Whether it is making good grades, sports, dance, or relationships we all attach to something because we are all in search for an identity. I remember when I was in middle school my brother and I loved playing basketball. We were such passionate Micheal Jordan fans that we would record the Bulls games on Wednesday night at church and then come home and watch the games after the service. I remember one night when my dad almost destroyed Aaron and me when he said, “Ryan and Aaron…you guys know that Micheal Jordan is not going to heaven unless he surrenders his life to Jesus?” Aaron and I sadly responded, “Yeah.” My dad was making sure that we were not getting too attached to basketball and letting it form our identity.
One of the most important questions in life is “Who am I?” To answer this question we attach ourselves to things to define who we are. Some of us attach ourselves to an “A” and we define ourselves as smart; others of us to an “F” and define ourselves as dumb. The list is endless, whether it is sports to be defined as athletic or dance as talented; we all attach ourselves to something that we believe defines who we are.
If this question is so important to us, how do we find out who we are? The answer is you must find the One who knows you. Who does God say you are? I John 3:1 says we are children of God. What does this mean? In Matthew 3:17 John baptizes Jesus and the heavens open up and God speaks, “This is my Son whom I love and am well pleased with.” Jesus was loved because He was God’s Son. God didn’t love him because of what He had done but simply because He was God’s Son. God’s love for Him was unconditional. This is incredible because I John says we too are God’s children, meaning we are God’s beloved. We are his sons and daughters loved unconditionally by him. This is what we should attach our worth and identity to.
How is it that God knows who we are? God understands our identity because He created us. He knows us better than we know ourselves and far better than the world knows us. The world will try to define you. The enemy would love for all of us to find our identity in the world. If you let the world define you it will only leave you empty, and will always bring you short of your greatness and potential. God defines you as his beloved, his son, his daughter, his warrior, his princess.
Pause for a couple of minutes and just listen. Listen for God’s voice. Let him define who you are. After a couple minutes of silence I read Psalm 139:1-18 in the Message Bible. In Psalm 139 David talks about how he is awed by how God knows everything about him. He knows every little detail about you because He is your creator and is in love with you.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Remind your child that their identity is not in sports, in their talents, or school, but God defines who they are. One thing that really helped me growing up was how my parents complimented me. They would always tell me how proud they were of me when I had a good basketball game or ran good but more than anything they would constantly brag about my relationship with God. “Ryan, we’re so proud of you reading your Bible everyday, and witnessing to your friends…” When my parents did this I felt good about myself. I felt love and it made me want to do it more and find my identity in God rather than sports or making good grades. I realized what was really valuable in life.
