The speaker humorously discusses the absence of Dick and shares a funny story about a doctor and a patient.

Introduction and Humor

The speaker outlines reasons for teaching faith and its connection to love and the teachings of Paul, emphasizing faith's role in salvation and overcoming challenges.

Importance of Teaching Faith

The speaker discusses faith's role in salvation, prayer, and overcoming obstacles, encouraging believers to recall past victories to build faith.

Faith, Prayer, and Past Victories

The speaker explains how faith acts as a shield against evil and stresses the importance of teaching with faith, not condemnation.

Faith as Protection and Teaching

The speaker discusses the significance of being 'in Christ', contrasting psychological determinism with a transformative identity in Christ, emphasizing acceptance and blessings.

Being in Christ

The speaker explains how being in Christ makes believers new creations, empowering them to overcome sin and live victoriously, highlighting the importance of spiritual renewal.

New Identity and Empowerment in Christ

The chapter concludes with a call to celebrate our new identity in Christ, emphasizing freedom from sin and the blessings we have.

Rejoicing in Our New Life in Christ

# Faith and Our Identity in Christ

## Greetings!

We hope this newsletter finds you well and filled with the joy of the Lord! In our recent gathering, we had a wonderful time of fellowship and teaching. Today, we want to share some key insights from our discussion about faith and our identity in Christ.

## A Lighthearted Moment

We began our session with a lighthearted story about our dear friend Dick, who was absent that day. The story involved a humorous encounter with a doctor and some unconventional treatments. It served as a reminder that even in our struggles, God’s grace and humor can shine through. 

## Why We Teach Faith

As we delved deeper into our message, we discussed **seven reasons** why teaching faith is essential for our spiritual growth:

1. **Paul Preached Faith**: The Apostle Paul emphasized faith in his teachings, as seen in Romans 10.
2. **Salvation Requires Faith**: Ephesians 2:8 reminds us that we are saved by grace through faith.
3. **Faith Pleases God**: Hebrews 11:6 states that without faith, it is impossible to please God.
4. **Faith is Our Battle**: 1 Timothy 6 encourages us to fight the good fight of faith.
5. **Faith Moves Mountains**: Mark 11:23 teaches us that our faith can move mountains in our lives.
6. **Faith for Answered Prayer**: Mark 11:24 shows that faith is essential for receiving answers to our prayers.
7. **Faith as Our Shield**: Ephesians 6:16 tells us that faith serves as a shield against the enemy's attacks.

These points remind us that faith is not just a concept; it is a way of life that empowers us to navigate our spiritual journey.

## The Importance of Being in Christ

We also revisited the concept of being **in Christ**, a phrase used over 130 times in the New Testament. Here are some key truths about our identity in Christ:

- **New Creation**: 2 Corinthians 5:17 states that we are a new creature in Christ, completely transformed.
- **Accepted**: Ephesians 1:6 tells us that we are accepted in the beloved.
- **Redeemed**: We have been bought with a price, redeemed from the kingdom of darkness (Ephesians 1:7).
- **Blessed**: We are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1).
- **No Condemnation**: Romans 8:1 assures us that there is no condemnation for those in Christ.
- **Created for Good Works**: Ephesians 2:10 affirms that we are created in Christ for good works.
- **Triumphant**: 2 Corinthians 2:14 reminds us that we are triumphant in Christ.

## Living Out Our Faith

As we embrace our identity in Christ, we are reminded that our past does not define us. We are not bound by our old nature or past experiences. Instead, we are empowered to live victorious lives through faith.

### Key Takeaways

- **Faith is Essential**: Cultivating a spirit of faith is crucial for our growth and ability to overcome challenges.
- **In Christ, We Are Transformed**: Understanding our identity in Christ changes our perspective and empowers us to live out our faith daily.
- **Faith Conquers Sin**: Romans 6 reminds us that we are dead to sin and alive to God, freeing us from the bondage of sin.

## The Power of Newness in Christ

In our recent discussion, we emphasized the importance of recognizing that our old sin nature is dead. As believers, we are new creations, partakers of the divine nature. The Apostle Paul reminds us that when Christ died, we died with Him. This means our old selves were crucified, and we are now called to live in the newness of life.

- **The Greater One is in Us**: We no longer have to struggle with sin because we have the power of Christ within us.
- **Renewing Our Minds**: Just as a runner focuses on their goals, we must renew our minds and speak the Word, allowing it to shape our lives.
- **No Heavy Lifting Required**: We don’t need to bear the burden of trying to earn God’s favor. Instead, we simply acknowledge who we are in Christ and rejoice in His goodness.

## Conclusion

As we continue to explore our identity in Christ and the power of faith, let us encourage one another to walk boldly in the truth of who we are. We are not just sinners saved by grace; we are new creations, accepted, redeemed, and triumphant in Christ!

Thank you for being a part of our community. We look forward to our next gathering and the continued journey of growing in faith together!

Blessings,

**[Your Church Name]**

"Embrace Your Identity: Faith and New Life in Christ"

- The speaker humorously mentions a friend named Dick who is absent and shares a light-hearted story about him visiting a doctor.
- The speaker emphasizes the importance of teaching faith in their church, outlining seven reasons for this focus.
- Key points include:
  - Faith is integral to salvation (Ephesians 2:8).
  - It is necessary to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
  - Faith is essential for fighting spiritual battles (1 Timothy 6).
  - It helps in overcoming personal challenges (moving mountains, Mark 11:23).
  - Faith is required for answered prayers (Mark 11:24).
  - It serves as protection against evil (Ephesians 6:16).
- The speaker believes that faith should underpin all teachings and emphasizes recounting past victories to strengthen faith.

- The speaker expresses gratitude for spiritual leadership and the importance of boldness in proclaiming God's word.
- Emphasizes the significance of faith in overcoming life's challenges and the necessity of speaking in alignment with the Word of God.
- Discusses the concept of being "in Christ," contrasting it with being "in Adam," highlighting the transformative power of this state.
- Introduces the idea of "in Christ determinism," which supersedes genetic, psychic, and environmental determinism by fundamentally recreating individuals.
- Cites 2 Corinthians 5:17, affirming that those in Christ are new creations, leaving behind their old selves.
- Encourages believers to recognize their new identity in Christ rather than focusing on past struggles or sin nature.
- Concludes with a promise of transformation and freedom from the burdens of the past through faith in Christ.

- Paul outlines 7 truths about being in Christ.
- **1. New Creatures:** We are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5).
- **2. Accepted:** We are accepted in Christ (Ephesians 1:6).
- **3. Bought/Redeemed:** We have been redeemed and bought out of darkness (Ephesians 1:7).
- **4. Blessed:** We are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1).
- **5. No Condemnation:** There is no condemnation for those in Christ (Romans 8:1).
- **6. Created in Christ:** We are created in Christ, reflecting His goodness (Ephesians 2).
- **7. Triumphant:** We are triumphant in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14).
- Emphasis on the transformation from sinner to new creation and living free from sin.

- The sin nature is considered dead, not resurrected daily, according to Apostle Paul.
- Believers are new creations and partakers of divine nature, free from sin.
- Identifying with Christ means recognizing that the old self was crucified, buried, and resurrected.
- Emphasizes the importance of renewing the mind to understand one’s righteousness in Christ.
- Encourages focusing on positive outcomes rather than negative thoughts or struggles.
- Believers should not feel burdened by sin; Jesus’ sacrifice has made them righteous.
- The message stresses joy and acceptance in Christ, dismissing condemnation from the devil.
- Concludes with a call to acknowledge and thank God for the gift of righteousness and freedom from sin.

- Speaker shares a humorous story about a friend named Dick and discusses the importance of teaching faith in church.
- Highlights seven reasons for focusing on faith:
  - Integral to salvation (Ephesians 2:8).
  - Necessary to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
  - Essential for spiritual battles (1 Timothy 6).
  - Helps overcome personal challenges (Mark 11:23).
  - Required for answered prayers (Mark 11:24).
  - Protects against evil (Ephesians 6:16).
- Emphasizes that faith should underpin all teachings and recounting past victories strengthens faith.
- Expresses gratitude for spiritual leadership and the need for boldness in proclaiming God's word.
- Discusses the transformative power of being "in Christ" versus "in Adam."
- Introduces "in Christ determinism," emphasizing new identity and freedom from past struggles.
- Cites 2 Corinthians 5:17, affirming believers are new creations.
- Outlines seven truths about being in Christ:
  1. New Creatures
  2. Accepted
  3. Bought/Redeemed
  4. Blessed
  5. No Condemnation
  6. Created in Christ
  7. Triumphant
- Stresses transformation from sinner to new creation, living free from sin.
- Encourages renewing the mind to understand righteousness in Christ and focusing on positive outcomes.
- Calls for acknowledgment of God's gift of righteousness and freedom from sin.

Well, hallelujah God is so good, you know, I noticed that dick is not here.

I don't know how many of you noticed that dick is not here today and So should we pick on him a little bit I?

Think well, you know, you know, he'll forgive us And I'm sure Jackie will fill him in on what happened.

But, you know, I mean, I think this is a true story too.

You know, there was a Chinese man and he opened a clinic in Niles with a sign that said $50 treatment, $200 back if you're not cured.

So Dick thought he could profit, him being an enterprising businessman that he is, he owns a car dealership and he's always looking to figure out a way to profit and be blessed, amen, and to prosper.

And so he goes to the doctor and says, I've lost my sense of taste.

And the doctor instructs his nurse 2 drops from the red box.

The patient tastes the drops, that's Dick, and instantly reacts, this is kerosene, it's disgusting.

The doctor smiles, great, your taste is back.

And so this time, he says to the doctor, I lost my memory.

Again, the doctor instructs 2 drops from the red box.

You gave it to me last time." The doctor smiles again, great, your memory is back, that's $50 please.

Week later, Dick tries again, he didn't give up.

The doctor hands him 2 bills and admits, I can't cure your vision.

Dick looks at the bills, but these are $1 bills, not $100 bills.

The doctor grins, great, your sight is back.

Now, I believe that's a true story, don't you?

He'll forgive me if I do a joke about him while he's not here.

I want to share this morning, and I'm going to preface this message before I do the main message, but I want to talk about 7 reasons real quickly here.

You know, a lot of churches, there's different streams, so why is it we go the direction that we go?

Why is it that we teach faith, and we always have the spirit of faith in everything we do?

Why is it that we always, have you noticed that?

Well, 1 of the things that helps me know that if I'm teaching faith, and if I'm operating in faith, I know I'm on the right track because faith works by love, and if I am exhibiting faith, I know I have love, amen?

And so that's 1 reason why, and that's just a free reason, That's not 1 of my 7 reasons.

And like I say, this is a preface to the other message.

But I just wanted to let you know what my DNA is and what direction I go on, the reason why I talk like I do.

And the reason why we talk like we do is because it's a wonderful place to be in in Christ, to talk about faith and to grow in faith.

And so the first reason why we teach faith and talk about faith is Paul preached faith.

Did you know the apostle Paul preached faith?

He said in Romans chapter 10, he said, this is the word of faith which we preach.

And so the apostle Paul preached faith all the time, all the time, because he was an apostle and he wanted to get people saved and he wanted to get people solid.

He wanted to get people established in their faith and so that's what he did.

And then the second reason is that you can't be saved without faith.

Anybody know anybody who's been saved without faith?

Ephesians chapter 2, 8 says, by grace are you saved through faith, that not of yourselves.

It's a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

And so it's impossible to be saved without faith.

So faith is pretty important I would suspect.

And then the third reason is that we need faith to please God.

Hebrews 11 6 says, but without faith it is impossible, it is impossible to please God.

Well if we're gonna please God we have to operate in faith.

Not works, not trying to get it all done in our own power and our own ability, our own goodness, but faith.

And so without faith, the Bible says it is impossible to please God.

Well, there's another very good reason why we should teach and preach faith.

And then the fourth reason is that we needed to fight the good fight.

We need faith to fight the good fight and win.

First Timothy chapter 6 says, fight the good fight of faith.

It's the only fight that believers are to fight.

We're not supposed to fight different people who have different viewpoints than us.

It says we're supposed to fight the good fight of faith, amen?

And the reason it's a good fight is because faith is always victorious.

It's always a good fight if you win, amen?

Anybody been on the losing end of a fight?

But there's 1 fight we are to win, there's 1 fight we are to fight, and that is the fight of faith.

And then the fifth reason is that we need faith to move our mountains.

Anybody have any mountains or had any mountains in your life?

And if you knew what was on the other side of your mountain, you would move that mountain as fast as you possibly could because God has good things on the other side of that mountain.

And so in Mark chapter 11 verse 23 it says, But whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, Shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith, he shall have whatsoever he saith.

And so it takes faith to move our mountains.

And people believe, scholars, theologians believe, that the mountain Jesus was talking about was the Mount of Olives, which has been prophesied that it will break in 2 and be moved in the end days, in the last day.

And so he wasn't just saying that figuratively.

He was specifically talking about that mountain at some point in time, in addition to the mountains in our lives.

And so we need faith to move our mountains.

And then the sixth reason is that we need faith for answered prayer.

Mark 11, 24, what things soever you desire when you pray, believe that you receive them and ye shall have them.

And so faith is required for answered prayer.

Now faith is of the heart, it's not an intellectual ascent, it's not something that we just are convinced in our minds.

It says, whosoever shall believe in his heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess Jesus Lord of their life shall be saved.

And so faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

And so that's why we hear the word, because our faith is increased.

And then what I like to do to help my faith is to recount past victories.

Because if God has done it for me before, and I know how that was, and I know how great He is, and I know, see faith emphasizes God's greatness, It doesn't emphasize our greatness.

And so when we count past victories that we've had in our lives, where our faith grows and we are able to move mountains, in Jesus' name, God has called us to move the mountains.

He's called us to operate in faith and receive his word and allow it to move, work mightily in our hearts.

The seventh reason is faith is our shield for resisting evil.

Ephesians chapter 6 verse 16 says, Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Sometimes wicked people will shoot fiery darts at you, amen.

But when we have got the Word of God in our hearts, in our lives, and in our wealth, we have that shield of faith, amen, and we are able to quench those fiery darknesses of wicked.

And so there are many more reasons for preaching and teaching faith.

And sort of the way I feel about it is I can teach on pretty much any subject I want.

I can preach on, you know, the hypostatic union or the pre-Adamite race or something like that, which I'm sure you all are excited about, right?

But you can teach on pretty much any subject in the Bible, but you can teach it or preach it with a spirit of faith.

You can preach and teach the spirit of the subject of holiness in a condemning way, but you can teach the subject of holiness in a spirit of faith way.

And so that's what I endeavor to do every time because faith, this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.

That's how we always measure what we say by the word.

I mean, you could be led to pray for me, you know, as the pastor.

See, you know, somebody can say, Oh, Lord God, Oh, God, please help Ken somehow.

I mean, do what you got to do to help that poor man.

Or you could just speak faith and say, thank you, Lord God, that Ken has an open door of utterance.

Thank you, Lord God, that the greater 1 lives in him.

Thank you, Lord God, that he takes heed to himself and also to the flock of God over which the Holy Ghost has made him an overseer.

Thank you Lord God that he has an open door of utterance.

Thank you Father that he makes boldly known the word of God.

I just soon hear the second kind of prayer for me.

And I know those kind of prayers are happening.

Hallelujah And so that's why we teach and preach faith and that's why we go the direction we go.

He's written over a hundred books only 17 of them were on faith But he's known as a father of faith Why Because so many of his other books were about other subjects, but he injected the spirit of faith into all those other subjects.

See, this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.

And so the more we grow in faith and the more we grow in love and the more we grow in God, the more victory we're going to experience in our lives.

Well, that was sort of the preface of the message this morning.

I just wanted to sort of get that out there and let you sort of know where my heart is and why I talk the way I talk.

Because the first thing that the Word of God is going to do to us can affect our mouths.

If we're growing in faith, our mouths are going to always be changed.

We're always going to start saying things in accordance and in line with the Word.

If you'll take a look at Mark 11, 23, and 24, It talks about believing God when you pray, but it speaks about talking more than it even speaks about believing.

And you'll see that as you study that, that a major part of what we believe is what we say.

And so it's important that we pray the word, speak the word, and always keep the word as our guide for what we think, what we say, what we proclaim.

So, I would like to now, what I'd like to do now is to return to our conversation about the fact that we are in Christ.

You remember last week we talked about in Christ.

Are you with me here this morning or did you remember any of that?

Let me give you a little bit of refresher.

We mentioned that there are only 2 types of people last week.

1 Corinthians chapter 15 says, for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

There's people in Adam and then there's people in Christ.

There's only 2 types of people in the earth today, people in Adam and people in Christ.

And so the in Christ is very, very important.

Last, we found that the phrase in Christ, by Christ, through Christ, with Christ, and mostly in Christ, that's the phrase most often used in the New Testament, is used more than a hundred and 30 times in the New Testament.

It's used many, many, many times in Ephesians chapter 1, 2, and 3.

Paul uses it extensively And so he teaches extensively on in Christ realities, the fact that we are in Christ.

And so I always sort of wondered, why does he come up with this subject so much?

Why does he talk about in Christ so much?

It's really that the in Christ truths are sort of like the conduit of God's, it's a portal for us because we're in Christ and the in Christ truths are like a portal for us, a conduit for us to go out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of God's dear Son.

And so it's so important for us to understand what happened to us when we came into Christ.

So it's mentioned 130 times in the New Testament.

Now If you've studied psychology at all, you probably read that there are, you may have read that there are 3 factors that determine the kind of person you are.

And you know this pop psychology is pretty interesting.

There's 3 types of determinism that psychology talks about.

What that means is it's my parents' fault.

The second 1 is it's psychic determinism.

Now what we're talking about is our personalities and the type of people we are, and why we make the decisions and the lifestyles that we do.

So the second determinism is psychic determination.

That means that it's my past experiences' fault.

My past experiences have warped my mind, and so I'm determined I've got to be a certain way.

And then the third type of determinism is environmental determinism.

That means, well, it's the way I was raised or where I came from.

I was brought up on the wrong side of the tracks, you know.

I just, you know, it's the way my papa did it, my parents did it, my grandparents did it, so it's the way I'm doing it.

But The reason it's called determinism is because there is no escape.

And so what psychologists will try to tell you is that your blueprint was already printed and you were already designed to be who you were before you had a chance to control it.

I mean, you might have a little bit of control, but there's no escape.

It's predetermined through these 3 types of determinism.

But the problem is they forgot 1 other type of determinism.

You're not going to probably find that in your psychology book, But we're going to talk about that a little bit, because in Christ, determinism is more powerful than all other determinisms, because it goes to the root of our being and recreates us.

A lot of us as believers, we don't feel recreated, and so we think we're not recreated.

But as we get the word in us and we understand what the word says we are, who we are in Christ, why it changes our whole attitude.

And that's what we're going to talk about a little bit more this morning.

Now, out of the Amplified Bible in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17.

In Christ, that is grafted in, joined to him by faith in him as Savior, he is a new creature, reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit.

The old things, the previous moral and spiritual condition have passed away.

Behold, all things, or behold, new things have come because spiritual awakening brings a new life.

Now out of the King James it says, therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.

And Many of you know that the original translation means a different species of being that never existed before, a new creature.

Old things have passed away and behold, all things have become new.

And a lot of us as believers would say, that doesn't compute.

I've still got all these faults in my life, and I'm a sinner saved by grace.

Well, we're going to see what the Bible says about those issues and see if maybe we shouldn't just side in with what the apostle Paul has to say about the Sabbath.

And so, you know, I remember, you may have done this before.

If you ever had a basement that was wet, you know, and the walls were wet, what is that called?

And so you go to Wall, not Walmart, you go to Menards or Home Depot or Lowe's and they got this paint called, I don't know, dry lock or some such.

It's real thick stuff and it says this is going to seal your basement.

So 1 of the instructions is that what you got to do is you got to take a chisel.

You got to chisel everything that's loose on all that concrete.

And so you chisel it all down so there's nothing that's flaky or loose on that wall.

And then you take this thick, thick paint and you just sort of whitewash the whole basement from top to bottom and boy does it look beautiful for a while.

And after a year you might notice a few little yellow spots and a little bit of efflorescence.

And after 2345, and after 6 or 8 years, you know, it's all back to the way it was before.

And so we need to understand that That's not how the Christian life is.

We're not constantly working, trying to clean up our lifestyle, trying to clean up our act.

And so we need, and what we really need to do would be to just sort of get to the root of the problem.

Now, I lived in the desert for 23 years, and I never saw a wet basement for some reason.

And so what we needed for some reason, why everything was dry, basements looked great, There might have been a spider, but probably not.

Because we got to the root of the problem, got rid of the water.

That's what we need, transfer that basement out of the kingdom of Niles into the kingdom of Las Vegas, Nevada.

And our lives have been translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son.

Therefore, we don't have to keep trying to repaint our lives and clean up everything and keep after it and try to cover up all the damage that the devil has done in our lives because we've been recreated in Christ Jesus.

We've been translated out of that kingdom, into the kingdom of God's dear Son.

And so consider yourself a new creature in Christ Jesus.

Now I want to share very quickly once again something, just a list of things, 7 truths that Paul tells us about in Christ.

Now I don't think we're going to necessarily go to the scriptures.

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