Radio Broadcast Wednesday 08/03/2022

Classic Christianity – A Closer Look at Your Identity in Christ P63 (08-03-22)

The Lord’s Supper is a Picture of Being Joined Together in Christ Jesus as the Body of Christ Here on Earth

~ Now we talked about in 1st Corinthians 10:16 and 17. And what it says is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks for participation in the blood of Christ, in other words, the life of Christ. And is not the bread that we break up participation in the body of Christ, because there’s one loaf we who are many are one body, for we all partake of that one loaf. And so in this scripture we talked about last week, that’s what truly that’s what the Lord’s Supper when it is done properly, is all about, it’s showing a single loaf. Well that represented Jesus when he was here, and his bodily form, singular and form could have drawn him could have drawn a picture of him. He said, This is my body, it’s going to be broken for you and he broke that loaf. And he told the apostle don’t told the the believers eat of it. Now when every person partakes of that loaf, after everyone has taken a piece out of that loaf, where is it? Well, it’s gone. Is Jesus body here on this earth, the body that he had 2000 years ago? No, where is it? It’s gone. Well, who’s his body today? You and me. Anyone who is born of the Spirit in dwelt by the Spirit and then placed, identified baptized by that Spirit into his body, so we become his body. Here On this earth, and that’s what the Lord’s Supper represents.

Listen in to today’s lesson with more in-depth teaching, from the Bible study booklet, A Closer Look at Your Identity in Christ, available for purchase from our online Bob George Ministries ecommerce store.

Just as a person’s physical growth is based on proper diet and exercise, so is the Christians’s spiritual growth dependent on regular feeding upon the word of God and application of its principles. With more false teaching, shifting opinions and general confusion in the world than ever before, Christians need a solid foundation upon which to base their beliefs and build their lives. The word of God declares that Jesus Christ is that foundation of truth. With that in mind, let’s now take A Closer Look at Your Identity in Christ.

Bob George 0:44
We are studying in chapter 10. And the title of this chapter is you are a part of the body of Christ. And if you have our workbook, your identity in Christ, why you’ll need to turn to that page 63. And we’ll pick up again, where we left off last week. What we’re dealing here is that you and I have, what we’re dealing with is that you and I have been joined to a body of Christ, when you are in Christ, born again of the Spirit, there is a spiritual transaction that has taken place. God came to live inside of you, Christ is living in you, the Holy Spirit of God came to live inside of you, you are indwelt by the living God. Now, folks, that is not an unusual transition, because that is exactly in precisely how God intended man to be to begin with, in other words, when man, when God created man, He created his creation, in such a way whereby you can almost hear the Trinity talking to each other, let’s, let’s create this thing called man down here, and for us to live in it, and, and will be the source of his activity and the dynamic of his action. And, and he and man will be a total reflection of who we are. In other words, when man is walking in dependency upon us, which we’ve designed him to do, why man and his human form will be a reflection of the mind of God Himself. And that was the intent.

And so when God created Adam and Eve, they were created as a human being in dwelt by the living God. And so they certainly had a human spirit. That’s what delineates man from the animal kingdom. Because the animal kingdom has both a body and a soul, they have a mind, emotion and well, but the animal kingdom does not possess a spiritual aspect. An animal is not sitting around contemplating Is there a God? And could I know him if there was? That’s that that is what delineates man. That’s what separates man from the animal kingdom. Now, with this, why Adam was created by God totally alive spiritually. In other words, the life the only spiritual life available to man comes from the source of that life, which is Christ Himself, which God, the Creator of all things, all things were created by Him and for Him. And He was before all things. So all of that is Christ, life was living in Adam at the time he was created. Now, when Adam fell, of course, that life of God departed from Adam, leaving his human spirit in a vacuum, seeking what vacated it, and yet seeking it someplace else, then, and in other ways, except who vacated him and that was God himself. So the human spirit is constantly seeking, that’s that vacuum that’s there, and all of us. But what I’m getting at is, we were meant to be a part of the body of Christ. In other words, God had a human body here on this earth, in Adam. And so when Adam fell, it was God’s desire, from that moment on to restore man to true humanity, because in that fallen condition, and we are all born in that fallen condition. Man is an essence to two thirds whole, he’s got a body and, and he’s got a soul, but his human spirit is devoid and empty of, of what life is really all about. And that’s, that’s Christ living in us. So folks think about for a moment, if Adam was created that way, and Adam prior to the fall lived in total dependency upon his father. Well, why there would have been absolutely no difference in Adam’s behavior than the mind of God. In other words, as as God gave Adam thought he just acted out that thought and therefore became a reflection and action of God Himself.

Jesus who was called the last Adam, the only man ever born alive, spiritually, was the same thing. Jesus was a total reflection of his Father. He didn’t have to be he could have been a reflection of himself. But he said, The things I do, it’s the father telling me to do it through me and the things you hear me say, it’s him, saying it through me. Because Jesus was teaching us how to walk as a man as God meant man to be in total dependency upon God himself. So Jesus walked that way on earth, so he was a reflection of the Father. Well, so was Adam before the fall. So in behavior, there would have been no difference between Adam and Jesus in behavior, even though Adam was a man in dwelt by God, and Jesus was God clothed in our humanity, because both of them were walking in total dependency upon the Father, and He is therefore the initiator of every thought in action, there would have been no difference at all, in the two in behavior. In identity. Yeah, sure. Adam was Adam, a man Jesus was God in a man suit. So in earth suit, but the but their behavior would have been identical until the day that Adam decided to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and become like God and determine what was right and wrong, good and evil. And of course, prior to that time, they were naked, but they didn’t see anything wrong with that the minute they fell, they covered themselves. And they said, we’re naked. And God said, Who told you you are naked? In other words, who told you that was right or wrong? Where did you come up with that? You had to come up with yourself, because I never told you that. So. So this is kind of the dilemma of the human experience. Now, when we are born again, prior to that time, our inheritance our father is what Jesus said to the Pharisees is that of the devil. Now, it’s not because we act like the devil, or maybe we do. But the issue is, that if your father is not God, then there’s only another one other force available. And there was another source rather available and that Satan, so there’s no in between, on that. So we are born into this world dead and in need of life. And that’s what Christ came to do is to give us life. So the very moment that the Spirit of God comes to live within man, and we’re born again, and the Scripture tells us that if the Spirit of God does not live in us, then we do not belong to Him. So the only way you can be born again, is to be indwelt by the living God.

Now, folks, you can call yourself a Christian and sit in a Christian church and call yourself a Christian if you want to, but you may be born again, or you may not that has nothing to do with where you sit on Sunday. So we’re not talking about being a good person, we’re not talking about whether you go to church, or whether you’re a Baptist, or Methodist, or Presbyterian or Catholic, or whatever, or Buddhist or Muslim doesn’t make a difference. Unless you’re born again, you’re never going to go into the kingdom of God. There is no other name under heaven whereby you must be what, saved. It doesn’t say where you must be on Sunday or Monday or Saturday. But it says salvation. So we’re talking about born again. And we, as we talked about last week, the very moment that the Spirit of God comes to live within you, that Spirit, then baptizes, or places you into the body of Christ, and that is now the picture of Christ living in you, and you living in him.

As we close before the break, talking about being born again is the time that the Spirit of God comes to live within man, and then the Spirit baptizes, or places us into the body of Christ. And that’s told in first Corinthians 12:12, and 13. It says the body is a unit. So he’s talking about your own physical body, it’s a unit, and though it’s made up of many parts, and though its parts are many, they form one body. So if you look at your body, it’s it’s gotten many, many parts to it, and yet it forms one body in unity. And so it is with Christ. It says, For we were all baptized by one Spirit. So folks, there is no such thing as coming to Christ and being born again today and then being baptized in the Spirit at a later point. There’s no place in the Bible that talks about being baptized in the Spirit, that is a misnomer, and a false teaching. You and I were baptized are placed and this has nothing to do with dunked in water. This is spiritual baptism, identification, we were all identified by one Spirit into one body, and that’s the body of Christ Jesus, whether Hebrews or Greeks, slave or free and all of us were given that one Spirit to drink. So it really folks if you’ve been taught that you can be born again but then you get the Spirit later or you get baptized in the Spirit and you’ll hear people say that I am spirit filled with Well, praise God. But when are you spirit filled, because that means to be controlled by the Spirit of God. And quite frankly, probably, if you’re telling me your spirit field, you’re not because that’s pride that I’m spirit filled, but somebody else isn’t. Well, quite frankly, I don’t think many of us know when we’re when we’re being controlled by the Spirit. And when we’re not until we look back on it and say that had to come from God because the shirt didn’t come from his flesh. But it’s more of a backward look than it is a forward look. But you see, what a person means by that is that I had some kind of an experience with a spirit and manifested be there speaking in tongues are getting slain in the Spirit, which also is not biblical. You won’t ever find that in the Bible, even a hint of it. But people are doing that type of thing, and then telling people why you’ve had a real encounter with God and your spirit filled. Well, I’m sorry, folks, that is a lie out of the pit, because there is nothing even close to that in Scripture. Anyone who is born again, you are born again. What? of the Spirit. And if the Spirit does not live in you, Romans 8 and 9, then you don’t belong to Christ. So if you are born again of the Spirit today, how could you receive the Spirit tomorrow, little hard to do hesitance and so you see that teaching is erroneous, it is false. And it will lead people down a primrose path to not walking by faith in truth, but total dependency upon a motional aesthetic experiences that, quite frankly, can either come from God or from Satan, either one because he’s a master at it.

So when we’re going to walk by faith, we’re going to have to walk by faith and what is true, and I’m reading to you from the body, that if you are in Christ, then the Spirit of God has come to live in you. All of us have one Spirit, the Spirit of God who now lives in you places us simultaneous, this is not something that happens two days later, it’s immediate places you it says by one Spirit into the body of Christ. That didn’t matter whether you’re a Hebrew, whether you’re a Greek with your slaver free, all of us were given one spirit to drink that do you catch that? All of us. So there’s no one more spiritual than another. There’s no one that has the spirit and the other doesn’t, unless you’re not born again. Anyone who doesn’t have the Spirit of God living in them is not born again. But there’s no such thing as being born again. And then getting the spirit at a later time or being born again and someone being more spiritual than another person. You are either natural lost, spiritual saved, but there isn’t somebody more lost than you. Nor is there anyone, anyone more saved than you. So get rid of all that spiritual pride that wells up inside of us when we don’t understand those things and think because we’ve had some kind of a static utterance or some kind of extreme experiential experience, that that made us spiritual or that we have something that some other Christian does not have. That is just not true, according to the Word of God.

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Bob George 13:38
Now we talked about in 1st Corinthians 10:16 and 17. And what it says is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks for participation in the blood of Christ, in other words, the life of Christ. And is not the bread that we break up participation in the body of Christ, because there’s one loaf we who are many are one body, for we all partake of that one loaf. And so in this scripture we talked about last week, that’s what truly that’s what the Lord’s Supper when it is done properly, is all about, it’s showing a single loaf. Well that represented Jesus when he was here, and his bodily form, singular and form could have drawn him could have drawn a picture of him. He said, This is my body, it’s going to be broken for you and he broke that loaf. And he told the apostle don’t told the the believers eat of it. Now when every person partakes of that loaf, after everyone has taken a piece out of that loaf, where is it? Well, it’s gone. Is Jesus body here on this earth, the body that he had 2000 years ago? No, where is it? It’s gone. Well, who’s his body today? You and me. Anyone who is born of the Spirit in dwelt by the Spirit and then placed, identified baptized by that Spirit into his body, so we become his body. Here On this earth, and that’s what the Lord’s Supper represents. That’s what is a picture of not sitting around with the lights down in the organ playing and trying to make yourself righteous in the sight of God and holy in the sight of God and getting all your unconfessed sins out of the way so that you don’t eat and drink damnation upon yourself. And and making yourself worthy. You never had been worthy, you never will be worthy, worthy is the lamb, not the sheep. And the instructions in Corinthians on the Lord’s Supper was to take the supper in a worthy manner. In other words, quit eating all the bread and drinking up all the wine for everybody gets there, and passing out and going to sleep. So we have a tape series on that, in case anyone’s interested in further teaching on that, that is quite enlightening, and I couldn’t recommend it to you more.

Well, let’s go on to the next passage of scripture Colossians 1:18. It says, And he is the head of the body, the church. So what is the church, the ecclesia? The true church, not what it’s become the pitiful representation that it has become. But the true church is not a building down on the corner of walk and don’t walk. The true church is not a denomination. The true church is not an organization. The true church is an organism. It’s a body. I don’t look at Bob Davis and say, hey, it’s pretty good looking organization you got there. That’s a he’s a he’s not an organization. He’s an organism. He’s a he’s a body that’s made up of many, many parts. And though its parts are many, they form one body, he’s not an organization. And so we are not either an organization we are, we have been joined to the living Christ, and He is the head of this body, the church.

He is the beginning, and the first born from among the dead. Now what in the world is that mean? Well, who are the dead? You and me. How far does that go back? Adam, when he died, we are all born dead, are we not? So who was the first born alive from among the dead? Jesus. That’s why his virgin birth isn’t up for grabs. If Jesus was born of natural means, like you and me, he would have been born out of the loins of Adam, dead like we are. But he was conceived by the Holy Spirit of God. So he was the first born from among the dead, Adam was the first man ever created alive, Jesus called the last Adam, the only man ever born alive. So he’s the first born from among the dead, so that in everything it says he might have supremacy. Now in as much as he was the first born physically from among the dead, he then provided through taking that life, that physical life to a cross, dying for the forgiveness of all of our sins, raised from the dead bodily, ascended into heaven bodily, with the promise, that now I’m going to send the Holy Spirit to you, because my body’s gone from this earth, but I’m going to send my Holy Spirit to you, and you’re going to become my body, it’s called the mystery. This is the mystery and the mystery that was held in the heart of God before the foundation of the earth, Christ in you, your only hope of glory. So folks, we belong to Christ. And we belong to one another.

You see, if I see myself as nothing more than a part of a denominational group, why that kind of becomes my club. And what I mean is my membership type of club, I don’t mean once you hit people in head with, although some of those things do that too, in another way. But folks, think about it for a moment. We’re talking about a total, belonging to something, all of us have a desire to be a part of something, don’t we? We like to fit into something to be a part of something. But you see, everything that we’re a part of is temporary. I’m identified right now with my wife. And we’re married and we’re identified with each other, and we’re a part of each other. And we’re a part of the same family and we’re a part so we belong to each other. And my family, we belong to each other, but that’s temporary. Why is it temporary? We’re gonna die someday. And some people get divorced, and then that split up so it’s temporary at the best. It’s either temporary because of our actions or it’s temporary because of death, but it’s temporary. We belong to a college fraternity or something or a sorority, and boy, we’re so happy because for three or four years, we get to belong to something. And what happens when you graduate? Well, you’re going Have an ex alumni about as important as a fist and water, when it’s pulled out no body misses you. Unless you get money, then and then you’re important, but it’s temporary at the most, it’s temporary, and sooner or later, you’re going to die again. So it’s temporary. People will belong to gangs, so thing belong to something, that’s the attraction of this gang warfare that you see going on. I’m a part of this gang over here, I belong to some people, it’s temporary, real temporary. We do the same thing in joining churches, I’m gonna belong to that church, because I want to be a part of something I want to fit into something else, I want to be around some people that, that know me, and I know them and, but it’s temporary folks, that church can go downhill as many of them do, yet that people die off or just closed down, it’s temporary. At the best, it’s temporary. There’s nothing that you can join down here on this earth. There’s nothing that you can belong to down here on this earth, that is not temporary. So you say, well, so does that meet a need? No, it doesn’t. Because you know, it’s not you know, it’s temporary. There’s only one thing that you can belong to that is eternal. And that’s to the body of Christ Jesus, our Lord, when we were joined to him and spiritual birth.

You know, I was just kind of sitting at the break, wondering if to bring this up or not. But I think it is, I think it’s worthwhile doing and in in saying what I’m going to say, I’m not picking on a specific category of people, but I am talking about a principle here. You remember, I think it might have been one one day last week that when our radio program or a couple of weeks ago, a guy called in and during a conversation, he said, I’m a Calvinist, and I think you know what that means. And, and I thought to myself, as as I keep thinking back on those type of things, you say, well, I almost felt like saying, Yes, I do. And it’s unfortunate. Now, it’s unfortunate, because Calvin, maybe his belief system was off or whether it was right or wrong. That’s not the issue. It’s an issue of identification, right? Because you I’ve been thinking about that type of thing. And somebody’s saying, Well, I’m a Calvinist. Now, what does that mean? And again, to those of you that consider yourself that don’t think I’m picking on you, but I am saying you need to change your identity. Because you’re not a Calvinist. If you’re a child of God, you’re a child of God. And and I’m going to show you why you shouldn’t see yourself in that fashion. If you’re a Calvinist what you’re saying, Well, I believe like Calvin did, and that would be a Calvinist. I believe I’m a Davis, what’s that mean? I believe like Davis does. Well, you’d have to say, Well, what did Calvin believe? I mean, who did he believe in? Where did he get his information? Did he have direct revelation from God? Or? Or where did he get his information? Well, from the Bible, well, from who will pride from Paul? Well, then, if Calvin got his information from Paul, why would you be a Calvinist? You ought to be a Pauline.

And they say, Well, yeah, okay. You’re right, Bob. You’re right. I, Calvin do just believe what Paul had to say. And I believe what Calvin has to say, but he believed what Paul had to say. So I guess you’re right. I should believe what Paul has to say. It’s okay. What Paul has to say about being a Paulleanist He said, Who am I? Who is Paul who is Chephas us? Who is it didn’t say Barnabas, but but he could have said that Apollos anybody who are we, he said, we’re only servants. We’re only people who plan to see somebody else waters it, but God has to make it grow. He was saying don’t call yourself a Paulinus or, or an A palace follower, or whatever it might be. That’s not the issue. The issue is we got our information from God. So if we’re God, the source of our information is God. He alone is who your identity is with, not with me. Not with Paul, not with Calvin, not with George, not with anybody except God. He’s the one who teaches us. And Calvin could have been right on in regard to his teaching. Right on. But I want to tell you, if that, indeed that was true, then he had to get it from the Holy Spirit in order to be right on. And if he got it from the Holy Spirit, I got news for you, so can you so I don’t have to get it from him. Now if teachers are used to encourage to open up the Word of God and to point you to Jesus, but in a final analysis, folks, I am not believing what I believe because of being told or read by some other man and I don’t want you to do that either. I don’t want you to believe what you believe because Bob George said it as if said before I could be lying out of my teeth to you, all I want to do is to encourage you to go back to the Word of God and read it yourself trusting only in the Holy Spirit of God to reveal what it means. And I’ll guarantee you if you know what it means it’s going to lead you to one person. It isn’t to me, it’s not the Calvin, it’s not even to Paul, it’s to Jesus, there’s only one reason for reading the Bible, and that is to be pointed to Jesus. So Calvinists don’t think I’m picking on you, but you need a new identity. Yeah. And, and so did I, when, when I’m a crusader, or I’m a this, I needed a new identity. If I’m a Baptist, I’m sorry, you need a new identity, I’m a Catholic, you need a new identity. I’m a Methodist, you need a new identity, those are all temporary, they all will fade with the dust. There’s only one identity if you’re born again, that you should have, and that is, I am a child of the living God period, you will never find those other identities listed in the Bible. They’re not there for a reason. And that is that their false identities. Now, if I am a child of God, that happens to go over to a Baptist church, I’m a child of God, and we’re on Sunday goes over to Catholic whatever this might be. That’s a different story. But that is not your identity. You’re not who you are by where you go. If I go into a barn, I’m not a horse. So, so we’re so folks get your identity, where it belongs. Why do you think all of this instruction is in the Scripture? It’s there talking to Christians letting you know you’re a part of something bigger than these little local things. You’re a part of something bigger than that. You and I are a part of a universal body of Christ Jesus, of born again believers who were born 2000 years ago, and if the Lord tarries will be born 2000 years later, we’re all a part of one body.

Thank you so much for tuning in to Classic Christianity, with Bob George. We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s program. We truly hope that today’s message has inspired you to walk a life of faith in the Lord, find more information online at shop.BobGeorge.net. There you’ll also find available CDs, DVDs, and bible studies available for purchase. It’s through your help that we are able to spread the good word of Jesus Christ. Until next time, walk in faith, be good to one another and praise the Lord. Amen.