Only the Creator Has Authority to Define His Creation

In one paragraph

This message was part of an ongoing series on working smarter and not harder, focused on the idea that before we can sharpen our tools and use our gifts well, we have to know who we are. Brian used the story of Gideon in Judges 6 to open up a conversation about identity: where it comes from, who has the authority to define it, and what God says about us compared to what we say about ourselves....

Read together

1. 1 Kings 5:6 Sidonians' reputation as skilled lumberjacks, used to introduce the series on sharpening tools
2. Isaiah 29:16 the potter has authority over the clay, used to argue only the creator can define his creation
3. 2 Corinthians 5:17 we are a new creation when we invite Jesus into our heart
4. Romans 8:15 we have been adopted back into God's family
5. Romans 6:14 we are no longer slaves to sin
6. Romans 8:37 we are more than conquerors regardless of circumstances
7. Jeremiah 31:3 listed among passages affirming we are deeply loved by God
8. Ephesians 1:4-5 listed among passages affirming we are deeply loved by God
9. 1 John 3:1 listed among passages affirming we are deeply loved by God
10. John 16:33 Jesus says we will have trouble in this world but he has overcome, quoted during the offering prayer

What was said

• Read Judges chapters 6 through 8 this week and watch how Gideon grows into the identity God spoke over him before he had done anything to earn it.
• Write down the five identity statements from the sermon, put them somewhere you will see them daily, and read them out loud to yourself each morning: you are a new creation, adopted back into God's family, no longer a slave to sin, more than a conqueror, and deeply loved by God.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to show you one lie about your identity that you have been believing, renounce it out loud, and replace it with what God says about you.
• Look up the six scripture references Brian mentioned and spend time this week sitting with what each one says about who you are in Christ: 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 8:15, Romans 6:14, Romans 8:37, Jeremiah 31:3, and Ephesians 1:4-5.
• If you are a man, show up to the men's Bible study Monday at 6PM, even if you have not been before, as Brian said it is never too late to jump in.

Talk about it

1. Brian pointed out that God greeted Gideon as 'mighty man of valor' before Gideon had done anything to earn that title. What does it mean to you that God speaks to who we are before we have performed or achieved anything?
2. Brian drew a contrast between how Gideon saw himself and how God saw him, and said both were true in a sense, but that God was operating at a higher level of truth. Where in your own life have you noticed a gap between how you see yourself and what God's word says about you?
3. Brian said 'only the creator has the authority to define his creation,' and that society, social media, and our own shifting feelings will try to fill that role instead. What voices have most shaped how you think about your identity, and how do you weigh those against what God says?
4. Renee made the connection that Gideon's seemingly mundane skill of processing grain may have been exactly what God was using to prepare him for what was ahead. Can you think of something ordinary in your own life that God might be using as preparation for something you cannot yet see?
5. Brian listed five identity statements from scripture: new creation, adopted into God's family, no longer a slave to sin, more than a conqueror, and deeply loved by God. Which one of those is hardest for you to actually receive as true about yourself right now, and why?