IDENTITY IN CHRIST "Coffee Talk with Amber and Sara"

Well I was I asked to speak to our mom's group at church and this past Wednesday was the big day.  My good friend Sara and I did it together, and we spoke on our Identity in Christ. I have never spoken a message to a large group before and I have to admit I was VERY nervous leading up to the talk.  I knew it have to be all God (I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me Phil 4:13), because I really have no public speaking training or skills.  Actually, not sure if you know this, but Public Speaking is the number one fear.  Higher than the fear of death! 

On the morning of the talk I was praying to the Lord, and pouring out my heart.  I was telling God how excited I was to let him speak through me, but that I was a little uneasy....I said "God, I am nervous because I have never done this before."  And He said:  "I HAVE."  Amen!!!  That meant so much to me, and it was so true, how many times through out creation has God used people to speak his message.  It isn't about me, my abilities, or what I can do, but about what He can do through me.  (To tell you a secret, I like when He does it and not me!  It sure takes the pressure off, and it is a lot easier!! )  He also gave me this verse: "Do not worry about what to say or how to say it.  At that time you will be given what to say for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." Matthew 10:19-20 He is so good!!

Our talk is on youtube and I posted the links below...now this is no professional recording, so you will have to turn the volume WAY up.  It only got the first 50 minutes of the talk (yes, we went an hour...LOL!) what didn't get on the video is now that believers in Jesus are not under law, but under grace we are led by the Spirit.  Below are the major points/verses from the talk.

To watch the rest of our "Identity in Christ, Coffee Talk" click these links:
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idk-178chjM&feature=channel&list=UL
Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nps1RxpvH6I

We talked about:
*How moms/wives set the tone for the home, using Proverbs 14:1 as our reference, "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears it down."

*That it is important to have our focus right, and what is right is to "Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" Hebrews 12:2a  - The devil wants you focused on yourself (what you are doing right/wrong), God wants you focused on Jesus (what He did for us!)

*We are not under law, but under grace. "Therefore, my brothers (sisters) I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.  Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from the law of Moses" Acts 13:38-39 
Justified is defined as: acquittal of sin, cleared from all charges and penalty from sin, our debt was paid in full by Jesus.

*We live in unbroken fellowship with God. "I will NEVER AGAIN remember their sins and lawless deeds.  And where sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices." Hebrews 10:17-18.  This is the new covenant, our sins are buried, he remembers them no more, and I love how the author of Hebrews points out, our sins HAVE BEEN forgiven. All of them.  
And in Romans it says: "For by the death He died, He died to sin [ending His relation to it] once for all; and the life He lives, He is living to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him].  Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to God [living in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus."  Romans 6:10-11 AMP Oh Hallelujah!

*We are righteous because of Jesus, that is good news.  This next passage is long, but SO WORTH READING!!  "But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses[i] and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.  For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,  for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.  Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God (righteous) through faith and not by obeying the law." Romans 3:21-28

*Now we live by the Spirit.  People are worried that if you take away the law from the believers, tell them they are forgiven from everything, are under the complete grace of God, that they will go crazy and sin all they want.  NOT TRUE.  When you are out the yolk of the law, you follow the Spirit's leading.  When you are filled with Spirit (which Ephesians 5:18b says: Instead, Be Filled with the Spirit) the Spirit will produce these fruit in you: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.  (Galatians 5:22)  The word actually says this is what happens when you live by the spirit: "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." Galtians 5:16-18.  When you are full of joy, kindness and self control, do you think you will yell at your kids?  Fight with your husband?  Talk bad about others?  The fruit the spirit produce will FAR exceed any law.  

I hope you are encouraged in the freedom we have in Christ!  Jesus-our true identity, "because as He is, so are we in this world." 1 John 4:17b

Kinda sound too good to be true?  That is why it is called the gospel, the nearly to good to be true news!

For I am not ashamed of this Good News (GOSPEL) about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes--the Jew first and also the Gentile.This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." Romans 1:16-17