WBS.202
FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
WHO AM I?
– VI
The New
Man - 5
1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an
holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him
who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
10 Which in
time past were not a people, but are now the people of Elohim: which had not
obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
We must acknowledge the reality of the New Man, and live in
the spirit, not in the flesh. The soul
makes the choice to actively respond to the flesh, choosing to respond to its
affections and lusts; or to humbly yield to the spirit and allow the mind of
Messiah to lead.
There are so many directions one might go at
this point in our study; and I suspect that to some degree, we will touch upon
them all. Today, I want to move toward
what I would call “The Identity Factor.”
By that, I mean, how do you look at yourself? How do you perceive of yourself? Is it the way IAUE looks at you or perceives
you? Our identity locks us into the
parameters within which we conduct our life.
It either limits or removes the limits on our expectations. Let me illustrate.
This week, I met with some people who have had
difficult pasts. One of them told me he
was an alcoholic. He did not mean that
he is currently addicted to alcohol. No,
he meant that he USED to be addicted to alcohol; but now, he attends AA
meetings and no longer drinks. Do you
see his identity problem? He identified
as being an alcoholic; and yet, he no longer drinks alcohol. This identity defines him to himself as a
permanent failure; and one that, given the right circumstances, will
demonstrate that he is exactly what he believes himself to be, an alcoholic.
Did you notice the significant word in that
illustration? It was “believes.” When we believe something about ourselves, it
defines us. We cannot rise above it.
Mark 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That
whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into
the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those
things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Belief is just another word for faith. Faith is not a mystical term. It doesn’t have a “spiritual” or “religious”
meaning. We err by confining the term to
a religious context. Man is made in the
image and after the likeness of IAUE.
IAUE calls things which be not as though they are…and they become (Rom
4:17). Why? Because He believes what He says. This is why belief (faith) is such a powerful
aspect of humankind. We are made to be like IAUE. Belief is constantly at work in our lives;
and one of the most powerful manifestations of that belief is demonstrated in the
Identity Factor.
Just think of all the things that disciples of
Yahushua Messiah believe about themselves.
Some say, “I am a worrier.” “I am afraid.” “I am too shy.” “I am always
angry.” “I am unworthy.” “I am bitter.” “I have little faith.” “I am too judgmental.”
All of these identities are functions of the old man. They represent a belief
that the old man is still very much alive. None of these identities reflects
what the mirror to our New Man shows us we really are. This represents a big
problem to successful discipleship. How
can we do the will of IAUE; or how can we do what the Master Yahushua asks us
to do when our perception of ourselves is not up to the task?
Many believers will read the Scriptures and
see passages that tell us what the New Man is.
They can even quote the verses that tell us who we have become “in
Messiah,” but the problem is, they don’t “believe” it. Whatever it is that they do believe about
themselves is their identity.
Let’s take a quick look at how IAUE looks at
us.
1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should
shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his
marvellous light;
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the
people of Elohim: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
We ARE…not, “we might be,” or “we might become,”
or even, “some of you are.” No, Peter
tells us quite emphatically that we ARE:
a chosen generation – This refers to the 14th generation from the carrying
away into Babylon unto Messiah (Matthew 1:17).
Yahushua was born the 13th generation; but Yahushua, the only
begotten of the Father, died. When he
rose from the dead, he was the “firstborn among many brethren.” The resurrected Yahushua was the Messiah; and
we are in him, and he is in us; which makes us a part of Messiah, the 14th
generation. This also refers to:
Psalm 102:18 This
shall be written for the generation to come:
and the people which shall be created shall praise IAUE.
We who are in Messiah are a created
generation. We are chosen by IAUE. That means hand-picked. If we were hand-picked by IAUE, we can know it
was not a choice based upon any of our perceived strengths or weaknesses; so
they simply do not factor in to how He sees us.
They are not the identity of the New Man.
a royal priesthood – The word “royal” means “kingly,” or “of the king.” A person who is a royal is of the bloodline
of the ruling family. IAUE gave all
authority both in Heaven and on Earth to His Son. Yahushua Messiah is the
King. In fact, that is what “Messiah”
actually means. It means “anointed to be
the king;” hence the Great Commission to go out and make disciples, teaching them to observe to do everything that
the King had commanded them to do.
King Yahushua is in us and we are in him. How can we NOT be royal…of
the royal family? But that isn’t
all. We are a royal “priesthood.” A priesthood represents the people to
IAUE. (By way of contrast, a prophet
represents IAUE to the people.) A
priesthood offers up acceptable sacrifices to IAUE on behalf of the people. (We
see, in this passage, that it is the sacrifice of praise that defines the
nature of our priesthood.) Yahushua is our high priest after the order of
Melchisedec (Hebrews 7:13). That
priesthood was both of royal blood and of a higher order than the Levitical
priesthood; and we are in him and he is in us. If Yahushua is a king-priest, how can we not
be a royal priesthood.
an holy nation – Literally,
this means that we are a “revered people.”
If you read in the book of Acts 5:13, the early disciples were revered
by the populace, and held in high esteem.
This speaks more to the way others will identify us, rather than how we will
identify ourselves; but we can understand from this that the New Man is of such
a nature that this is how it will cause others to perceive us.
a peculiar people – This does not mean that we are an odd people. It means that we are an acquired people. IAUE purchased us out of the slave
market. That is what “redemption”
actually means. We are bought out of the
slave market unto one Master, forever; never again to be subjected to being
sold to another task master.
Colossians
1:13 Who hath delivered us from the
power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
The New Man is the possession of IAUE.
This
description by Peter is not a new idea.
Exodus 19:5 Now
therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall
be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
6 And
ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the
words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
This has always been the identity by which
IAUE has desired to define His people; only the Old Covenant was insufficient
to produce such a people. It took the New
Covenant which produces the 14th generation, the New Man, to produce
this identity in His people.
This is who we are. We are no less. If you think yourself to be angry, bitter,
unworthy, timid, shy, weak in faith, etc., you simply are wrong. You just don’t know who you are, yet. If you
did not notice it (being helped by the repeatedly underlined phrase), we are in
Messiah Yahushua, and he is in us. He is
our identity because the New Man is one with him. “As he is, so
also are we in this world (1 John 4:17).”
You should describe yourself out loud and
often as being these attributes until you actually begin to believe this is the
real you…the New Man which is inside of you.
Speak them. Say to yourself and
to others, “I am a chosen generation. I
am a royal priesthood. I am someone to
be revered. I am the purchased possession
of the Creator of Heaven and Earth. This
is who I am; and any thought, word or idea to the contrary is a lie.”
Kingdom
heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the
performance of the will of IAUE.
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