 I'm gonna be speaking from a passage and a verse that many of us we already know since you were in Bible school at a young age. And so I want to encourage you guys take out your notes. If you don't have your notes, notes will be on the you version Bible app and we can go from there. We're gonna be reading from Matthew 317 and I'm gonna read a couple verses but this is gonna be the verse that we base our message on this morning. Amen. Matthew 317 and it says right here or Jesus was I'm gonna give a quick summary. Jesus was coming going on to the river and going to get baptized by his by his cousin John and he comes to his cousin John and says hey I need to get baptized by you John is like you're crazy you're the son of God I'm supposed to get baptized by you but nonetheless he's like you're Jesus I got to listen to you and so he gets baptized by John and as John is baptizing Jesus into the water and Jesus comes out of the water I want us we're gonna land here on verse 17 and you guys can follow with me and I think we have right here I'm gonna I'm gonna say it I want you to repeat after me say and a voice from heaven said this is my son who my love and with him I am well pleased amen and so this is I know it's a it's a small verse but I was we are going through a series with our youth and we're teaching our youth on identity and I realized well I can't preach this kind of a sermon to older people this is more of a youth sermon this is but I realize a lot of adults they just figured out how to live life with an identity not rooted in Christ they've channeled they've found different avenues and ways and they've went around the fact of of maybe I'm not rooted in Christ but I'm just gonna get by by no life's actions and day-to-day stuff but I realize everybody every Christian and non-Christian needs to know who they are in Christ and their identity in Christ and as I was reading in Matthew 3 17 and it says in a voice from heaven said this is my son whom I love with him I am well pleased it really dawned out to me and I was I remember a story in uh when I was younger when if you can start the clock for me because I can go for an hour thank you very much uh when I was younger I don't know about you but me when I was younger I would do some things to get a recognition from some people you know I'll do some stupid things um and I happen to be the class clown uh when I was young um and for a fact I was a clown and so I did a lot of things to make my class laugh a lot a lot of things to make my friends laugh out of the fact that I wanted them to no think I'm funny for them for them to think that I'm I'm cool or I'm the funny kid in in class and I remember this one particular time when I was young I was in about elementary school I was walking with my friend to school it was early in the morning and I was playing I had a I was in violin class believe it or not um and I was very good at it and so I was walking with my violin case and there on the sidewalk was a fence but this fence was tilted a little bit it was weighing down like it's breaking and so me wanting my friends to think I'm funny I I just helped the fence to go all the way down um I helped it to go all the way down and uh it happened to be the fact that I as as I helped that fence to go all the way down I push it down to think I was funny um all the other fences connected to that fence decided to go down too and so I'm sitting there I pulled down one fence and I got a whole block of fence like a domino effect and I'm like oh no um but that's not the worst part I happened to pull down the fence where an old man was deciding to sit with his cup of coffee in his backyard and as I pulled down the fence I looked at him and we made a eye contact it was probably the longest five seconds of my entire life um and I realized I'm screwed at this point so I did whatever good to uh every good uh kid did and um I started running I started running yeah uh so we booked it as my with my friend and we started running and I had my violin case and somewhere I'm like his no I mean he's I mean he's getting a little older his knees are not gonna catch up to me I'm a young buck you feel me and so I'm like he's not gonna catch up and I'm running and it so happens to be that my my handle breaks off my case the violin comes out and as I'm getting my case together my violin together the cops come he calls the cops um they come pick me up and they take me to my house and my dad uh yeah so we'll leave that part we'll leave that part um I don't know who's watching and so you know my dad did what dads do and so but as I was thinking about this story I started to realize that I I did this thing I made this action or this decision out of the fact that I wanted my friends to accept me I wanted my friends to think I was cool or they were proud of me and as I was reading Matthew 317 we're gonna break up this scripture I know it's a small scripture but into three portions and uh you will see the way that I portioned this scripture is very much how pastor Vlad does it and I was making sure if I do it on Sunday I gotta make it rhyme like he does you guys know what I mean and a voice from heaven said this is my son whom I loved with him I am well pleased the first part of this scripture this verse this is my son what is this this is my son speak of it speaks of acceptance it speaks of acceptance he is accepting Jesus as his son in his family he is he belongs to the family of Jesus he's accepted into his family the second part of this scripture it says whom I love what does this speak of this speaks of affection this speaks of love this speaks of I love them this is not a conditional love this is a positional love I don't love you because you've done good I love you because you're my son amen it's that kind of it's a it's a sonship type of a love in the last part of this scripture it says and with him I am well pleased what does this speak of this speaks of approval this speaks of approval and I realized as I was studying this verse every one of us our choices in life and our decisions and our frame our mind frame of thinking our choices our decisions in life it all comes down out of the the decisions actions we make it comes all comes out of the overflow or the lack of identity in Christ every action that you've made from the time you've been born to to today it has all there's different avenues and different no you can branch out a little bit but it all comes down to these three five these three things you did that action you thought that way you made that decision out of the lack of or the overflow that you're accepted God loves you and he approves of you because if you think about every choice that you make you make a choice like if you think about the story that I just said I made an action out of not the overflow that I'm loved and I'm accepted and God is proud of me I made the action out of the need of acceptance affection and approval when you make when you make life choices out of not the overflow of identity in Christ but the lack of it the lack of acceptance the lack of affirmation the lack of affection and approval you will see just like with me you will get that approval from man but that price that you paid will be too much any any product of approval any product of affection or love that you pay for will always be overpriced see I realized with me in that story that I did that out of the fact that I wanted approval I did that out of the fact that my identity was not secure and I know it's a funny story and everything but I want to derive from this story just the the thought that when you make life choices when you make a choice out of the lack of identity in your life that choice will always cost you more than you want to pay that choice that you make that my friend a mind frame of thinking will always cost you too much and I was telling talking to our teens and we kind of we kind of talked to our teens and our students about this and you know focus on your relationship with God when you're 12 and you're 13 and you're 15 and you're 17 so that you don't have to fix yourself at 20 30 and 40 and that was a statement that we gave to our youth and they're like oh yeah that's good Zach I'm like all right well apply it I said don't just tell me that's good live it out you know I mean don't just put it on your bio and Jesus then come on I love this generation um but I want to take from this statement the focus on yourself when you're 12 15 17 so that we don't have to fix yourself when you're 20 30 40 I want to take from this statement and I want to ask us how many of us are dealing with things at 20 30 40 50 that we neglected at 12 14 15 and 17 see everything neglected one day will become infected and so when you make life choices at a young age out of the fact that you are seeking for approval you are seeking for acceptance you are seeking for the love you will overpay for the product that you get see we don't work out of the need to get approval we work out of the approval that we already have from God we don't work out of the need to be accepted into God's family we work out of the fact that he already accepted us and out of that acceptance and out of that identity that's rooted in God we make choices I want to ask us the question how many of us with life be a little bit different if you didn't make life choices out of the need to be accepted if you didn't make choices in a relationship in a business with your friendships with your finances out of the need to be approved by man's opinion I realized for me no I was reading in a in a proverbs in proverbs 27 7 I believe and it says that someone that is full someone that forgot the proverbs of 27 7 that someone that is full it they are they're not hungry they don't even they don't even want honey the sweetest of honey this is what it says when you are full you won't want even the sweetest of honey but when you are hungry even bitter honey or even bitter food will look sweet and I was wondering what is that but then I began to realize this is what it is when God says don't you are in the world but you are not of the world don't conform to the pattern of this world because when you are full the world the food of the world the food of society the food of culture that they feed you it won't be pleasing to you you won't be you won't fall into that temptation I brought to our youth the fact that you know when you're when you eat before a party and then you come into a party and they're like hey here's some food and you're like hey I'm good I really ate in the same way this is the proverbs 27 says when you are full even sweetest of honey won't look good for you because let me tell you the world the devil he will bring temptation in the realm of your desires if you look when Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights and he what was the first thing he got tempted with food and so the devil is sneaky and cunning he will appease to you in the realm of your desires and your and your the lack of identity and so here he says even the sweetest of honey will look will not appease you because you are full in the same way when I go to a party and I've already ate I'm able to say no I don't want what you're offering me why because I'm full in the same way when you are rooted in the identity in Christ in the world and you walk into the world you don't have to be of the world when they offer you hey here's the the food of society here's what culture says here's what the the the American family down the road has you don't have to feed off of that because you're already full of who God says you are and who God says what God says that you can do can I get an amen in this place see when our identity is not secure we will accept anything to fill that void that's why our society is right now proof and our young adults are proof of people of making wounded past of neglecting the the the rooting the identity in Christ at a young age and they made choices out of the lack of identity that ended up to where they are today any product bought out of the lack of identity acceptance approval for affirmation affection will be overpriced in Matthew seven six do not give what is holy to the dogs nor cast your pearls before before swine least lest they will trample them under their feet and churn and tear you in pieces so when you don't know your God given identity you will be willing to accept worldly standards you'll be willing to accept what the world offers because you know when you go to a party there's a difference when you're hungry you don't eat what they give but when you're when you're hungry you eat what they offer you doesn't matter what they have on the table you eat but when you're full you say no I'm good in the same way when you're rooted in the identity in Christ and the devil offers you because the devil will and we're going to get that to there in a little bit when he does you don't give in you're in the world but you're not of the world can I get an amen in this place see anything done out of the need for acceptance is not an identity rooted in Christ when your identity is rooted in Christ we do things out of acceptance not in need of acceptance we do things out of the approval we fight from victory not for victory we fight from the price that's already been paid but some of us are trying to pay the price again some of us are trying to repay and carry the sins that has already been on the back of Jesus some of us already are still carrying the shame that Jesus already paid for 2 000 years on the cross and what God is saying is is you have to begin to accept me because when you accept me you root my your identity in me those things like shame, guilt, condemnation you have to come off in Jesus name but you will find yourself when your identity is now rooted in Christ you will find yourself seeking like I did seeking from man's approval and the thing is man's approval and opinion that's great it's not bad no we all want people to love us I mean at least I do I'm like I don't want you to hate me and so it's good to have that opinion of that like applause from man but it's a problem when the approval of man is essential in the opinion and approval of God is extra it has to be flipped around it has to be that what God says that's what's essential in my life what God's word says that is what I build and I root my identity if you like me or if you don't it's okay but I know what my God says about me I know what he says I can do I know where he says I can go if you like me if you don't that's great but I know who I am and I know who's I am and my daily actions will derive out of my identity of Christ in Jesus my name yeah I tell our teenagers and I I'm like hey I don't need you to change your actions I don't want you to leave this service with with a thought of mind frame of thinking I need to do better no no you need to get closer to God because I don't need change habits I need to change heart because when you have a change heart the Bible says protect your heart above all because from it comes the pattern of life the way of life so if you have a change heart actions will follow that's why when I see teenagers they're smoking they're doing this I don't I don't get mad because I know all I need is a touch of the Holy Spirit and those actions they will change but a lot of us hear me today catch this a lot of us we try to change actions before we change our identity and root our identity in Christ amen Matthew 1626 for what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world wealth fame success before fits his soul see when you don't have your identity rooted in Christ and who you are in Christ you will do things to get man's approval but here we says you will get man's approval but at what cost at what cost see the prodigal son he uh he left and he was in the world and eventually he came back because God is so good he came back not as a slave he came back as a son but at what cost what did he lose what did he waste what did he give up that he could have done God's grace is always a God's grace like Pastor Vlad said it's not an all-access uh past to sin God's grace is an all-access pastor when you do sin you come back to the Father but how many of us we've like I said we're here today because we've made choices out of the fact that we don't know that we're a son because a son acts different you know when I get in trouble I do something that my parents don't like and they're frustrated with me but know what I love that at night they still make me a dinner and and I begin to realize that well mom like I know I messed up or I did this see our sonship our identity it's not conditional it's not based off what you can do it's based off what he's done and when you understand that just fundamental that principle of Christianity you will make your choices will look a little bit different when you're faced with the crossroad you begin to filter that crossroad and that decision out through the filter that I'm a son and when you filter that decision through the filter of sonship uh the fact that you rude it in Christ your decisions will change a little bit because you know who's you are because you know who's backing you decisions and choices and actions will look a little bit different you'll get the approval but at what cost you will get temporary satisfaction see I got what I wanted I got the laugh from my friend but then I got the consequence see when you make actions out of the lack you will get what you want but then you won't want what you got but there's an approval there's an acceptance that we don't have to pay for that's already been paid for all you have to do is receive that today and this is for every business owner this is for every janitor every single mom every single father every single family every person that owns a business or or works three jobs every single day this is what we rude our foundation on God is the wish you God loves you in spite of you God loves you in spite of what you can do or the abilities the abilities that you have but when you root yourself in him life looks a little bit different are you guys getting something today see when you root yourself in anything but that does not God you have you put your life in the hands of economy you put your life in the hands of the government you put your life in the hands of your job of the president you put your life in the hands of different types of things but we've all seen pandemic has proven it to us that everything fails nothing it's proven time and time again that it will fail but the word never fails Bible says that heavens and earth they will pass but my word stays the same so today I implore you church build your house on the rock of ages build your house on what God says build your identity not on your family not even on your marriage because when family fails God's word doesn't when your health fails God's word doesn't when your when a job fails God's word doesn't his word is eternal and so we don't build our lives on something that's eventual we build something our lives on something that's eternal in Jesus name come on somebody devil says I love I love this part and this is the first part first point I want to bring you Jesus was accepted before the journey I want us to write this down I love what Jesus devil does he comes he comes to Jesus later on in a chapter four and this is what this is what devil does when Jesus was led into the wilderness Jesus comes to him devil comes to him and says if you are the son of God tell these stones to become bread say Jesus was accepted before the journey so today we can be sons and daughters before son we can we do even what sons and daughters do you see Jesus didn't even start his journey Jesus didn't even do some one one miracle yet Jesus hasn't even started his ministry but before he even started his ministry God already solidified that identity in Jesus and let me tell you something if Jesus needed to be reminded of who he is because of wilderness who are we to not have to just say hey we don't need to know who we are Jesus reminded that hey this is my son I love him and I'm proud of him and God wants to remind every single one of us that you're his son that you're his daughter that he's he loves you he's proud of you see the first sign that you are listening to the enemy when it comes regarding your identity is when you think is when you believe that you have to do to be when you believe that you have to do something to become a son see because Jesus tells God tells Jesus you are my son and devil comes couple verses later and says if you are the son see God wants to remind us of our identity because he understands he wants us to know that everything that you're gonna do is not gonna come out of your works it's coming gonna come out of the worth that God gives and devil comes to Jesus says if you are the son of God in the place that Jesus says you are the son of God let me tell you something your identity will always be tested in a wilderness season because what God said in the good season the devil will test in the wilderness season God says you are God a devil says if you are and see what the devil does is so sneaky he says if you are then you will do this and many of us in the world has as adopted that mind frame of thinking that to be I have to do to be a son I have to act like a son but how many you know that you have a kid no matter what they do they come out crying pooping peeing everywhere but they so they've already caused headache but the love is there the love is there he tells Jesus to if if you are the son of God then turn these stones into bread as if you were a son by works in the first place see what devil didn't understand is Jesus was accepted before he did anything good so why do we think we can be rejected if we do anything bad if Jesus was accepted as a son before he did anything good we can't do anything bad to be rejected yes there's consequences to our sin but God loves us regardless we are a positional love God loves us as a son whether we're a baby we're a teenager we're a daughter we're married God loves us how we are amen in Ephesians 2 verse 8 and 9 it says for it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not from yourselves it is a gift of God not by works so that no one can boast see but the world has adapted this thinking that you have to do something to become a son this is not an excuse to sin because you've been accepted no God God loves you before you've done anything good but a lot of us we we think well if God loves us then I'm gonna do whatever I want to do I'm gonna I'm gonna sing I'm gonna have fun I'm gonna do whatever I want to do because well God already loves me yes you're right but let me bring two reasons why why you don't want to do that no if if you're saying like well if God loves me regardless then I could do whatever I want you're 100% you can do whatever you want but the two reasons I want to bring to us why we don't want to live our life that way first reason is we don't know our last day on earth we are walking on the line of eternity every single day we are walking that line so to eternity is not a game to be played with eternity is not something that we that hangs in the balance in our hands one day we're here one day we're not no I I was involved in an accident uh last year about a year ago I lost my best friend and I was sleeping in that car accident and the split second before the car accident I woke up and then that was it blacked out I lost my best friend in that moment but no one dawned on me in the hospital when I was there no one dawned on me is I didn't have a second to say sorry to God I didn't have a second I didn't even have a millisecond to get right with God if I was a sinner that would have been my last day and so this is why we don't want to walk out we don't want to live out of the fact that no I can do what I want and then I'll get get right with God later on and second of all is you won't walk in the fullness of what God has for you you won't walk protocol son got he got all his possessions but no he wanted to have his fun he wanted to do what he does and every teenager every person does he wanted to have the fun and then and then but the thing is God accepted him but in that process how much did he lose how much did he go into into bondage how much things that he have to endure just to come to that realization of that he's accepted well sometimes some teenagers tell me well I just want to have fun I tell them I'm like go hike Badger if you want to have fun like go on a vacation if you want to have fun like go bike riding explore a new hobby but don't don't don't explore fun and don't have fun in such a way that you compromise your convictions that you compromise your beliefs and that you put your eternity at jeopardy amen church and second of all is Jesus was accepted for the journey he was accepted before the journey and second of all he was accepted for the journey there is a wilderness season in front of all of us church no matter the shape no matter the size of it we all will gonna are gonna go through something Bible says no in life there's gonna be trials and tribulations but take heart that I have overcome the world I have overcome and so when we are in Christ we are with a God that has already overcome what you are going through he was accepted for the journey the wilderness season will truly test your identity in Christ God will say you are and the devil say if you are but today church I want us to build our identity I want us to come back to the fundamental of our of our we don't derive our identity out of what we accomplish or what we can do we derive it from who God says that we are and the last thing that I want to bring to us is when an identity is rooted in Christ when identity is rooted in the word of God so we don't get our identity from the world we get it from the word we get our identity from who God says that we are and when you root your identity in Christ and the storm comes because the Bible says build your life your house on the solid rock or on the sand the thing is both verses say the storm is gonna come so no matter if the storm comes or not that what what really matters is not how good your life is because we all know there can be a pretty house but if the foundation is not solid and the thing is the foundation is what's not looked at what is your foundation what is your private time look like what is your prayer time look like what does your fasting life look like what does your bible reading that is a foundation that is what people don't see but what people don't see is what you've built your life on it is the word of God and the bible says when the storm comes what is your house gonna be built on we build our life on the word of God we build our life on who God says that we are in Daniel 3 17 and I'm gonna end with this I'm gonna land right here an identity that is rooted in the world versus an identity that is rooted in the word an identity that is rooted in the world is in produces an if faith it produces a faith that if God does something I will serve him if God no comes through in my finances I will serve him if God is able to heal my son I will serve him if God comes through in my business deal I will serve him if God no promotes me seven dollars I will serve him if God if my kid comes back from drugs I will serve him this is an identity that is rooted in what the world says that is rooted on your own power on your own what you can produce but an identity that is rooted in the word church is an even even if type of a faith I want us to read from Daniel 3 Daniel 3 and this is when the three Hebrew boys Shadrach Meshach and Abednego King Nebuchadnezzar was calling on the whole city to to bow before the gods that they serve but these three Hebrew boys did not want to bow and what King Nebuchadnezzar did he turned on the furnace and he turned it up really really hot and this is this is what he said in verse 13 first furious with rage Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach Meshach and Abednego so these men were brought before the king and Nebuchadnezzar said to them it is true Shadrach Meshach and Abednego that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold that I have set up now when you hear the sound of the horn all the music if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I have made very good but if you do not worship it you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace then what god will be able rescue you from my hand do you see what the devil does everything what when god says something the devil comes to question it god says he's gonna rescue you what and then what does the devil say well if god doesn't you are the son of god well if you are the son of god we got a rude identity in christ 16 Shadrach Meshach and Abednego reply to him and this is what I wanted this is so powerful king Nebuchadnezzar we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter if you if we are thrown into the blazing furnace the god we serve is able to deliver us and he will deliver us from our majesty's hand from your majesty's hand but even if he does not we want you to know that your majesty that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold that you have set up an identity that is not rooted in god you will say god if you come through I will worship you but if you do not come through I will worship these gods these idols what culture says what society says but an identity rooted in the word of god church I want you to your face to rise is a it produces a faith of an even if even if god you don't come through even if my life doesn't get better even if my kid doesn't get back even if I lose that loved one even if my finances don't go go through even if my family doesn't get not bow to your god a faith rooted in produces an even if faith hey thanks for watching this video if you enjoyed this content and this was a blessing to you would you help us and hit thumbs up so that it could help more people to discover this video it cost you nothing but it can go a long way to help with the algorithm as well as if you're not subscribed to our channel hit subscribe click on the bell so that you can be reminded each time that we upload videos thank you so much for being a part of this community if you're interested in learning more about hungry gen our internship our conferences deliverance and so many other things go to hungry gen.com for more information and as always remember better is not good enough the best is yet to come