Read the story of Tank and Turk and the Barbie twins, and then answer the following questions:
· Tank and Turk, those bundles of physical urges, sure behaved differently than Tank and Turk, the lean, mean, running machines. Why?
· Think about your perception of yourself. Are you more like Tank and Turk before the track coach discovered them or Tank and Turk after they started working out? Explain your answer.
Many Christians (and you may be one of them) are not enjoying the victory and freedom that is their inheritance in Christ because they have inaccurate ideas about themselves. If we don’t know what God says about us and who we are in Christ, we will suffer from a poor self-image. We must get a handle on our true identity in Christ and lose our old identity in sinful Adam.
THE LIFE-CHANGING DIFFERENCE OF BEING IN CHRIST
Have you put your trust in Christ? Then, from God’s perspective, you are no longer identified with Adam and his sin but with Jesus and His righteousness. Are you identifying with Him, though? Consider the following questions.
Unending Dependence on God. Adam depended on God to a point, but Jesus was completely dependent on God the Father.
· On a scale from Adam up to Jesus, evaluate your dependence on God. How well do you do in general?
· In what aspects of your life are you most independent of God? Why?
· What does the world—our society and your school campus—teach about dependence and independence? Which is acceptable in the world’s eyes, and which is not? How does God figure into the world’s message?
Uninterrupted Spiritual Life. Both Adam and Jesus were born spiritually alive. Adam died spiritually when he sinned, but Jesus never gave up His spiritual life because He never sinned. If you’ve accepted Christ as your Savior, you are no longer spiritually dead but alive in Him now and forever.
· Because of Adam, you were born spiritually dead, and sin continues to interfere with your Christian walk. What specific things tend to interrupt your spiritual life these days?
· What does it mean to you to pray, “Lead us not into temptation”?
· What can you learn about resisting temptation from Jesus in Matthew 4:1-11?
The differences between Adam and Jesus spell the difference between life and death for you and me. Read on!
WHAT A DIFFERENCE CHRIST ’S
DIFFERENCE MAKES IN US!
In 1 Corinthians 15:22, Paul writes, “As in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.” Believers are “in Christ,” and being in Christ is the most important part of our identity.
New Life Requires New Birth. We weren’t born in Christ. We were born in sin (see Psalm 51:5). So what is God’s plan for transforming us from being in Adam to being in Christ? His plan is for spiritual birth.
· What did you learn about your spiritual life in Christ from the comparison of physical birth to spiritual rebirth?
· You may have come across a couple mindblowers in the text. We’re thinking of the statements “Eternal life is not something you get when you die” and “Salvation is not a future addition; it’s a present transformation” (see John 17:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17). In plain English, what do these facts mean to you?
New Life Brings New Identity. Being a Christian is not just a matter of getting something; it’s a matter of being someone. Being born again changed you into someone who didn’t exist before. So what you get from God as His child isn’t the point; it’s who you are. And it’s not what you do as a Christian that determines who you are; it’s who you are that determines what you do. More mindblowers, right? Let’s untangle them.
· If you think you’re no good, you’ll probably live like you’re no good. Could this be your motto? In what ways are you living like you’re no good?
· Do you see yourself as a child of God? Where in your life are you living in victory and freedom as Christ did?
· If you find yourself living as if you’re no good more than you live according to the truth that you are a child of God, Satan may be one reason. What can you do to protect yourself from Satan’s deception about your relationship to God and your value to Him? (We started your answer for you. That’s just the kind of writers we are!)
1. Read this book.
2. Do the “Start Stomping” activities.
3. _________________________________
4. _________________________________
5. _________________________________
New Life Results in a New Title. The Bible says we are saints because God calls us saints (see Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1).
· What kind of person do you think of when you hear the word “saint”? Who comes to mind?
· What do you think about being called a saint yourself? How does that make you feel? How do you think God intends that title to make you feel?
· If you think of yourself as a sinner, how will you probably act? Give three or four examples from a typical day.
· As a child of God, you are a saint who unfortunately happens to sin, sometimes several times a day. But if you were to think of yourself as a saint, how would you act in some of the circumstances you just outlined?
You’ve heard it before and now you’ll hear it again! What you do doesn’t determine who you are; who you are determines what you do. Got that, saint?
WHAT IS TRUE OF CHRIST IS TRUE OF YOU
Yep, you read that right. What is true of Jesus now applies to you because you are in Christ. It’s part of your identity.
Who Am I? Review the “Who Am I?” list that begins on page 26 of the text. (Some you will recognize from last chapter’s “Strength Givers.”) If you are in Christ, every one of these statements is completely true of you. They aren’t true because of anything you’ve done. They’re true because of what Jesus has done for you.
· Which one or two of these “Who Am I?” statements are the most encouraging to you today? Why?
· Which one or two of these “Who Am I?” statements are the most challenging to you today? Why?
· Which one or two of these “Who Am I?” statements are the hardest for you to believe? Why?
You can make all these traits more meaningful and productive in your life by simply choosing to believe what God has said about you. Believing what God says about you doesn’t make it true. What God says about you is true, and therefore you believe it.
THE BRIGHT HOPE OF BEING A CHILD OF GOD
As the helpless and hopeless children of sinful Adam, there was nothing about us to make us acceptable to God. But through Jesus, God provided the only way for us to become part of His family. You are no longer a spiritual orphan; you are a child of God.
Special? Me? As a Christian, you are someone very special.
· Who did what to give you that special status?
· Read 1 John 3:1-3. What hope do you find in this description of God’s love and its effect on your life?
We are children of God—now! When we believe that, we begin to live like the children of God we are. But we must see ourselves as children of God in order to live like children of God.
VIP Invite. Just in case you weren’t ready to accept the invitation earlier, we’ll extend it again. Would you like to become a child of God? Are you ready to receive Jesus into your life (see John 1:12)? Let God know of your choice by saying the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I believe that You were resurrected from the dead in order that I might have spiritual life. I put my trust for eternal life in You and invite You into my life to be my Lord and Master. I no longer want to live independently of You. Thank You for giving me eternal life. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
START STOMPING!
Celebrate Dependence Day! In the Old Testament, God’s people would build altars to remind them of God’s faithfulness. With some small stones, build an altar. (Or, if you prefer, draw a picture.) Then on an index card write down the instance(s) of God’s faithfulness this altar is commemorating. As you dedicate this altar, ask God to forgive your independence and to teach you greater dependence on Him.
Poster Time. Get a piece of poster board and then get creative! Use marking pens, pictures from magazines, Bible references, Christian symbols and old photographs to do whatever it takes to illustrate and get into your brain the truth: “What I do doesn’t determine who I am; who I am determines what I do—and I am a child of God!”
Ears to Hear. Just in case you didn’t do what the text strongly encouraged you to do, we’ll invite you once again to read aloud the “Who Am I?” list. Yep—out loud! And stick your name into those statements, too, for greater impact (“I, Poindexter, am a child of God.” “I, Esmerelda, am a new person. My past is forgiven and everything is new.”)
God, it’s hard to get my mind around all You’ve done for me. Through the death of Your Son, Jesus, You’ve made it possible for me to be Your child. All I have to do is accept Your invitation. Thank You for helping me hear and respond to that invitation. Now, God, please help me learn how to live as Your child. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
STRENGTH GIVERS
These words are for you and about you. As you read each day’s verse, ask yourself, “How would my life be different if I could live out this truth?”—and ask God to help you do so.
| Monday: | 1 Corinthians 1:30 |
| Tuesday: | John 1:12 |
| Wednesday: | 2 Corinthians 5:17 |
| Thursday: | Ephesians 1:1 |
| Friday: | 1 Peter 2:9-10 |