Brief Summary
This YouTube video features a sermon by Creflo Dollar on understanding and living in sync with one's true identity in Christ, followed by a message from Bill Johnson on authority, power, and discerning the spiritual. Dollar emphasizes that Christians are more than just human beings; they have a Christ identity that empowers them to overcome temptation and fulfill their purpose. Johnson discusses the importance of both authority and power in a believer's life, highlighting the need for submission to the primary mission of Christ and the ability to discern the spiritual gifts in others.
- Understanding true identity in Christ is key to overcoming temptation.
- Grace is the power to be different and live from one's true identity.
- Authority comes from commission, while power comes from encounter.
- Discerning the spiritual helps recognize and honor the gifts in others.
Worship and Introduction
The service begins with a vibrant worship session, setting a tone of gratitude and praise. The speaker expresses thankfulness for God's grace, the Word, the Spirit, and the presence of God. It's highlighted that embracing change and leaning into grace are essential, especially during times of conflict. Grace is defined as the power to be different, contrasting it with mercy. The speaker introduces Creflo Dollar, emphasizing his role in helping navigate the changes God is asking the church to make.
Being in Sync with Your True Identity
Creflo Dollar begins his sermon by emphasizing the importance of being in sync with one's true identity in Christ. He uses the analogy of wearing a watch that doesn't work to illustrate how many Christians possess the Holy Spirit but don't depend on it. He stresses that recognizing and remembering who you are is the quickest way to overcome temptation. Dollar references 2 Corinthians 3:18, explaining that by beholding Jesus, we are changed into His image. He uses the Mirror Translation to emphasize that when we look at Jesus, we see ourselves, realizing that every feature of God's image is reflected within us.
Engineered by God's Design
Dollar references Ephesians 2:10, stating that we are God's workmanship, engineered by His design and molded in Christ. He emphasizes that we are fully equipped to give attractive evidence of His likeness in everything we do, right now. Referencing 1 John 4:4-6, Dollar explains that we originate in God and have already conquered the worldly religious system because of the unveiling of Christ in us. He stresses the importance of seeing our origin in God, as everything about our lives flows from our true identity.
Satan's Battle Plan and Overcoming Temptation
Dollar explains that Satan's battle plan is to attack and distract us from getting in sync with our true identity. He references Genesis 3:5, where the serpent tempts Eve by suggesting she can be like God. He contrasts this with Jesus's response to temptation in Matthew 4:3, where Jesus, secure in His identity as the Son of God, resists the devil's attempts to make Him prove Himself. Dollar emphasizes that operating from your true identity means responding to life from who you are in Christ, not from how things look or feel in the moment.
Practical Application of True Identity
Dollar provides practical examples of living from one's true identity in marriage, at work, and in prayer. In marriage, it means not responding from pride or insecurity but operating from love. At work, it means not working for approval but doing everything as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23). In prayer, it means coming to God as a son, aligning with what has already been given rather than begging for something more.
Resting in the Finished Work
Dollar references Hebrews 4, explaining that God wants us to labor to rest in the finished work of Jesus. He clarifies that this doesn't mean earning rest but aligning with what is already finished, such as righteousness, redemption, and prosperity. He defines prosperity as wholeness, with nothing missing and nothing broken. Dollar distinguishes between self-effort, which tries to accomplish what Jesus has already finished, and redeemed effort, which participates with what is finished.
Personal Testimony and Vulnerability
Dollar shares a personal testimony of his health struggles, including cancer and blood clots, emphasizing that God was with him through it all. He highlights the importance of having a personal, intimate relationship with God and not just a transactional one. Dollar discusses guilt and shame, explaining that guilt says, "I made a mistake," while shame says, "I am a mistake." He emphasizes that we should not let what we've done define us but rather focus on who God says we are.
Purpose and Identity
Dollar connects identity to purpose, stating that our identity is the launching pad for our purpose and the foundation for our calling. He encourages listeners to ask God how He wants to express Himself through them each day, rather than just asking what their purpose is. Dollar concludes by emphasizing that everything starts with our identity and that we should quit walking around like we're just human.
Speaker's Offering and Divine Connection
Pastor George takes the stage to discuss the significance of sowing into the speaker's offering. He references Philippians 1, explaining that partners partake in the grace and anointing upon the Apostle Paul because of their covenant connection. He shares the story of Kenneth and Gloria Copeland's partnership with Oral Roberts, emphasizing that their ministry was birthed through that connection. Pastor George states that by sowing into the offering, listeners are partaking in ten different anointings.
Authority, Power, and the Renewed Mind
Bill Johnson begins his message with humor, then transitions to discussing the importance of understanding our identity in Christ. He references Romans 6, stating that we died with Christ and were raised with Him, and we should think of ourselves as dead to sin. Johnson explains that Jesus came to earth commissioned by the Father but didn't come with power until His baptism. He emphasizes that our authority comes from our measure of yes to the mission and that power comes in the encounter.
The Holy Spirit and Conflict
Johnson explains that the Holy Spirit will lead us into conflicts that we are equipped to win. He clarifies that there is no war in the heavens between God and the devil; rather, God uses the powers of darkness to train us for eternity. Johnson references Luke 4, where Jesus is led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil after being filled with the Holy Spirit.
No Prophet is Accepted in His Own Country
Johnson references Luke 4:24-30, where Jesus says that no prophet is accepted in his own country. He explains that Elijah was among the Israelites, but God only appeared through him to a widow outside of Israel because the Israelites did not honor the prophet. Johnson emphasizes that receiving a prophet as a prophet gives you access to what they carry in God.
The Discerning of the Spiritual
Johnson shares a personal story of how he and his wife received a financial breakthrough by honoring friends who had a grace for prosperity. He emphasizes that sometimes the thing we need the most, God has already released to us, but we don't recognize it. Johnson prays for a gift of discerning the spiritual, that listeners would be better at recognizing the grace that rests on the people they would have overlooked.
Salvation Prayer and Closing
The service concludes with an opportunity for those who have not yet made Jesus the Lord of their lives to pray a salvation prayer. The speaker encourages listeners to receive the gift of salvation and make Jesus the Lord of their lives.
