Overview
This teaching examines “Never Lose Sight of Who You Are” through 2 Samuel 23, Ephesians 6, Matthew 26, Matthew 14, showing how john, says, christ shape a believer’s relationship with God, daily choices, and service to others.
Transcript
Understanding Never Lose Sight of Who You Are
Never lose sight of who you are. You’re God’s kids. Please turn to 2 Samuel chapter 23.
You know, it’s such an important thing to maintain an awareness that we belong to God. It’s really the strength and the base of power that we launch from. Yeah, we don’t have to go through life just on our own ability, our own power, our own intellect, but we have the creator of the heavens and earth that’s within us and wanting to provide for us, promises to supply all of our needs.
So I want to look with you at a few examples of men and women that had that perspective, and sometimes when they may have lost that perspective. Here in 2 Samuel 23, this is the end of the life of the great King David, David that at 17 years old took on Goliath of the Philistines. When Goliath was threatening, David’s remark or response was, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that dares to defy the armies of the living God? David didn’t look at the strength or the stature of this giant that was in front of him, that was challenging him for all of his nation.
He looked at God. And here at the end of his life, it even says it in that way as we begin 2 Samuel 23. Now these be the last words of David.
David, the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel said. So look at all this introduction. David, he’s the son of Jesse.
He’s the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of God, the sweet psalmist. And it goes on in verse 2, the spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said, the rock of Israel spake to me, he that ruleth over men must be just.
So these are the words that David lived by, ruling in the fear, or that’s not the fear that you’re afraid of God, but in the respect of God. And he shall be, look at this comparison. He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun rises, even a morning without clouds, as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.
He just painted a picture for us to see this. You’ve just got up on a beautiful, clear morning in the summertime, and the dew is reflecting off the blades of grass, or the dew or the rain that’s fallen. It’s got these water droplets just reflecting off the grass.
That’s the picture he’s painting for us. Verse 5, although my house be not so with God, yet he hath made me an everlasting covenant. You know, he said, I’m not always the one that’s got that beautiful picture, but God is.
He made me an everlasting covenant or arrangement. This is what God promises him. Ordered in all things and sure, for this is all my salvation and all my desire.
Although he make it not to grow, but the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands. So now in the course of this, David says there is an enemy to deal with. These sons of Belial is one of the ways to describe or define the adversary’s men, the enemy.
Verse 7, now this is a warning, but the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear. In order to go up against these wicked, wicked men, you’ve got to have God. Fenced with iron is indicating you’ve got revelation.
You can’t just run into battle without God and think you’re going to defeat this enemy. In Ephesians 6, it says in verse 10 that we are to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. And then it says, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness from high, the rulers of the darkness of this world.
That’s the competition. That’s where it lies in the spirit realm. But we can win.
And it goes on to say, we take the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. We’re armed by God with the spiritual enablements. And that’s what David is talking about here.
You can’t touch them unless you’ve got God, unless you’re fenced with iron and the staff of a spear. And they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place. You know, David, the example of when he took on Goliath, David was not even trained as a warrior.
The Biblical Foundation
He was only 17 years old. He wasn’t old enough to be in the army. And yet he came to the king and said, I’ll take this guy on because he knew he had God on his side.
And then it says he picked up five stones. With his slingshot, it’s only going to take one stone to defeat this giant. But he picked up five because five is the number of grace.
He was not going to try and go it alone on his own ability. He was going to go with God’s grace to defeat this enemy. And with God’s grace, he certainly did defeat him.
He slew the giant and won the battle. So, verse eight, these are the names of the mighty men of David. So it goes on now and lists David’s mighty men.
But the point to see here is that with God, we can have this beautiful existence. Like when you wake up on a clear morning and you see the dew reflecting off the grass, but there is an enemy that will come and try to interfere. But we just got to remember who we are and that we’ve got God on our side.
Go to the gospel of Matthew. Speaking of knowing who you are, that will oftentimes be brought into question. The enemy, who in the Bible calls him the devil, calls him Satan.
It has different names. We just saw in that second Samuel record called men of Belial. The enemy will try to talk you out of who you are.
Doesn’t want you to realize you have God on your side, wants to deny that. Here in Matthew chapter four, Jesus Christ is only 30 years old, and he’s just received the spirit of God. The previous verses, just the end of chapter three, it says he received the spirit of God.
And here he’s, verse one of Matthew four, then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted to the devil. Well, he didn’t go there so he could be tempted to the devil. He went there to be alone with God.
He just received the spirit of God. He has trained for 30 years to learn who God is as his father, to read these records like the one we just read about David, to realize what his calling is, that he was the son of Mary by divine conception, that Joseph was his stepfather, and all that he had learned as he grew up. And here he just received the spirit of God, and he goes to spend this time alone with God in the wilderness.
And when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, he was afterward and hungered. Well, I would say so. He just, he had no distractions.
He just fasted. Okay, God, this is me and you time for 40 days and 40 nights. Verse three, and when the tempter came to him, he said, if thou be the son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
So what is the, the tempter is, again, another way of describing the devil. The devil comes to him. It just said that he was tempted to the devil up in verse one.
So here the devil’s called the tempter, and he’s tempting him to question or doubt that he really is the son of God, that all this that Jesus Christ had been certainly considering was not really true. If thou be the son of God, then turn these stones into bread. You’re hungry, then make this your bread.
And Jesus Christ’s response is so amazing, right? He says in verse four, but he answered and said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God. See, that’s what sustains a man is not just the physical nourishment. Certainly we need bread.
Examples and Spiritual Lessons
We need physical food to continue, but more than the physical food, we need God. We need the word of God. And that’s what Jesus Christ is pointing to here.
Look at the end of the chapter of the book of Matthew. Go to chapter 26. Matthew 26.
We’ll start in verse 47. Matthew 26, and we’re in verse 47. And while he yet spake, Judas one of the 12 came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves from the chief priests and the elders of the people.
See, Judas thought that Jesus was to be a ruler like David. David took on physical wars with the Philistines and these other unbelievers. And Judas thought he’s going to bring this fight to a head against the Romans.
And so he betrayed Jesus thinking, surely Jesus Christ is going to rise up and defeat the Romans. But Judas was mistaken. He didn’t understand what Jesus Christ was called to do.
And so here he comes with all these soldiers, verse 48. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same as he hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus and said, Hail, Master, and kissed him.
And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou to come? Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took him. And behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck a servant of the high priests and smote off his ear. And one of the other gospel records just tells us this is Peter.
Peter’s ready to go to battle. Now it says when you put these records together in the gospels, there’s 600 here against just a handful of Jesus Christ and his disciples. But Peter’s not afraid because Jesus is with him.
They have all the confidence in the world. And he’s ready to go to battle with his sword. He cuts off one of the guy’s ears.
Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into its place, for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my father, and he shall presently give me more than 12 legions of angels? See, I want to go to this record because Jesus Christ never lost sight of who he was, who he is as God’s son. And he says right here, he says, don’t you know that I could call on God right now, and he’d have 12 legions of angels.
A legion is 6,000. 6,000 times 12 is 72,000. He says more than 72,000 angels.
He knew that’s who he was and that he belonged to God. And it would only take one syllable out of his mouth, God help me. And these angels were poised.
They would have come down and wiped out those 600 men in a flash. And we see records in the Old Testament where they did that. You know, there’s points where Hezekiah, his city of Jerusalem was surrounded by 185,000 men of the enemy.
And they woke up in the morning and said, and they were all dead men. 185,000 died overnight. They came to challenge Hezekiah and Hezekiah prayed.
And the enemy was vanquished. And the king that led them, Sennacherib, ran back home. And he was killed when he got home.
But see, that’s, Jesus Christ shows us, you just never lose sight of who you are and who God is, that we belong to Him. Now go to Matthew 14. Here we’re going to see that, unfortunately, we can at times lose sight of who we are.
Faith in Action
And we can get ourselves into a jam, which we really want to avoid. But these things can happen. There’s so much noise in our faces with all the technology we have, and just even the word of mouth around the people that talk to us.
And we just don’t want to get caught up into that, because it’s designed to build fear. It’s designed to divide. And here in Matthew 14, the record is of John the Baptist.
And it says in verse 1 of Matthew 14, At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus and said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist. He is risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him. So what’s he talking about? John is risen from the dead.
Well, let’s read the following verses. For Herod had laid hold on John and bound him and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife. For John had said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.
And so John got involved with this authority. Herod had taken his brother Philip’s wife for himself. And John confronted him, You’re not supposed to do that.
You don’t take another man’s wife. But see, John had no business going up against this political leader without revelation from God. And this is going to lead to John being killed.
That’s that verse we read in 2 Samuel. Don’t go up against the man of Belial unless you’re fenced with iron. Unless you’ve got God backing you up and leading you in this regard.
And see, John doesn’t have that. He just, he’s saying what’s right. You shouldn’t go marry your brother’s wife.
That’s a wrong thing. But it wasn’t his place to go and stand up against this evil in this time. And so it says, verse 5, And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they countered him as a prophet.
So he had John arrested, and he wanted to have him put to death. But he knows so many people are followers of John. So Herod is slow to take that step.
Verse 6, But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she being before, instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John the Baptist’s head in a charger. And the king was sorry.
Nevertheless, for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at the meal, he commanded it to be given to her. And he sent and beheaded John in prison. So this is what went on.
This man stood against the king when he didn’t have God backing him. See, what we do when we have adversity, we go to God. We can’t always just stand in the way.
We had this hurricane coming just a week ago, bearing down on across the Gulf of Mexico, bearing down on Tampa. And we didn’t say, okay, let’s everybody go get in your cars, drive to the coast of Florida to Tampa, and we’re going to stand on the shores and back this storm off. No, we didn’t do that.
We didn’t have the revelation to go do that. But what we did do was pray. And then God diminished the storm.
Walking in Love and Confidence
God brought peace or broke down the devastating results that the media had said was sure to happen. Now there was this storm still came ashore, but it wasn’t anything like what they were fearing. See, God can work in situations, but our stance is to not fight against flesh and blood, but to go with the Word.
So now look at Luke chapter 7. So in the midst of this situation with John, he finds himself in prison, and John begins to doubt that he is who the Word says he is. He’s losing sight of who he is in God’s eyes. And so in Luke chapter 7, go down to verse 19, please.
Luke 7, 19. And it says, and John calling unto him, two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, art thou he that should come, or look we for another? See, John is in prison at this time. And so he sends a couple of his disciples to ask Jesus Christ, are you the one? Well, this had to be an almost devastating question for Jesus Christ to receive, because John is his cousin, family.
And John had declared when Jesus Christ opened his ministry, behold, the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world. John knew who Jesus Christ was or is. And yet, why is John having this question asked? Because maybe Jesus Christ isn’t the one, because I surely can’t be the one.
Look where I’m at. I’m in prison. I’ve got myself in a bind.
He’s beginning to doubt who he is. Art thou he that should come, or look we for another? Verse 20. And when the men were come unto him, unto Jesus, they said, John the Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, art thou he that should come, or look we for another? And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities, and plagues, and of evil spirits.
And unto many that were blind he gave sight. Then Jesus answering said unto them, go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard, and how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and to the poor the gospel is preached. You know, when Jesus Christ opened his ministry—we’re not going to go back there, but if you continue reading in Matthew 4, that’s what he quotes as he opened his ministry.
That he was sent to heal the lame, to the blind, to the poor, the gospel will be preached. That he is, he’s confirming that he is the one. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me.
And then it says, and when the messengers of John were departed. But I’m going to read to you from, it’s called the Passion version. There’s different versions of the Bible, and this one has it more accurately rendered.
And it says, while John’s messengers were departing, he turned to these people, and he said, now I’ll go back to the King James, he said, what came you out for to see? See, he wants these guys that came from John to hear this. And it says, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, what went you out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went you out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously appareled, and live delicately, live in the king’s courts. Now he’s telling them, you didn’t go out in the wilderness to see some gaily dressed man, some guy in soft raiment.
No, he’s going to say, but what went you out for to see? A prophet. Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. And here’s the answer.
See, these messengers that came from John are hearing this, because it says, while they were departing. In the King James, it says, after they departed, but it’s in the other versions, it’s while they were departing. And it says in verse 27, this is he of whom it is written, behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
He’s quoting Malachi chapter three. He’s saying, this man, this John the Baptist that you’ve been following, many of you, and these guys that just came from him, he is the one that was prophesied in Malachi 400 years earlier. The one that would come to prepare the way for me.
And see, that’s what he wants them to see. Verse 27, this is he of whom it is written, behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. That’s what John needed to hear.
You are who God says you are. And with that understanding, he could break out of prison. You know, there’s records of Peter in Acts chapter 12.
The angels came and busted the prison doors down, and Peter walked out of prison. But you have to believe who you are. John has somehow got to the place because he got himself in trouble that he’s doubting who he is.
Applying the Teaching in Daily Life
And Jesus Christ is trying to restore that. This is the man. Go tell John, you’re the man, John.
Verse 26, for I say unto you, among those that are born of women, there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist. But he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. Because this is what’s coming.
Jesus Christ knew, he didn’t know the mystery, but he knew that he was the one that they looked forward to, and he was coming to defeat the enemy. And that everyone would have more as a result. That’s what the word promised.
And John was part of leading the way towards that. To where all these people, like you and I, we can be sons of God. John was a servant of God.
All the Old Testament believers, these men and women of God, were servants. But we are sons and daughters. And so this is what Jesus Christ was teaching them.
It’s incredible. Well, go to the, all the way to the end of the Bible, to the first John. You got first, second, third John, Jude, then Revelation.
So go to first John chapter three. It’s so important that we continue to remember who we are. And first John chapter three, we read in verse one, behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.
Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Verse two, beloved, now are we the sons of God. And it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
Go back a couple of books, a couple of chapters to chapter, actually chapter two, just go back one chapter. Chapter two of first John. We’re in first John chapter two.
It says, but whoso keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby know we that we are in him. He that says he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked.
That’s verse five and six of chapter two. We can walk like Jesus Christ walked. He knew always that he is the son of God, that he could call on God.
God would send over 72,000 angels to his aid in a moment. That’s us. We can walk like that.
And let’s close in Acts 27. Acts 27, the apostle Paul came to realize that he belonged to God, even when he made a mistake at a time in Acts chapter 20 and 21, when he thought he could go back and do some good going back to these evil men and women that had been responsible for orchestrating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. He went back there, not with God’s revelation.
Matter of fact, as he traveled back to Jerusalem, he was over in the area, which now Greece, when he traveled back to Jerusalem, everywhere he went, God’s people were saying, don’t go, Paul, don’t go to Jerusalem. But he just went anyway. He says, what mean you to weep and to break my heart? I’m ready to die if I need to die.
Well, God didn’t want him to die. And he almost had his life taken from him when he got back there and he finds himself in prison. And then he’s appealed to Rome because he’s a Roman citizen.
A Life Shaped by God’s Word
And so he says, I need to stand before Caesar. And while he’s being shipped over to stand in Rome before the high court in Rome, he finds himself in a very life-threatening situation. And it says in Acts 27 in verse 15, he’s caught in a storm.
And when the ship was caught and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. And running under a certain island, which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat, which when they had taken up, they used helps undergirding the ship and fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail. And so we’re driven.
So they’re in this life-threatening situation out in the Mediterranean Sea in the middle of what we would call a hurricane. And they can’t get control of the ship and it’s threatening all their lives. As a matter of fact, it says verse 19, in the third day, we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.
And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. They’d given up hope. All hope that we should be saved was taken away.
Luke is the one that wrote the book of Acts. And he uses the pronoun that includes him. We all gave up hope.
All hope that we should be saved was taken away. Guess we’re not going to make it. But what does Paul do? Paul remembers who he is.
But after long abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said, sirs, you should have listened, hearken to me and not loose from Crete to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer. Or that’s an old English phrase that means to grab hold of your minds, to think positively that which I’m going to tell you.
Be of good cheer for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night, the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve saying, fear not Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar. And God has given thee all them that sail with thee.
See what Paul did with his mind in the midst of this storm is he realized I belong to God. And my life is about serving God. And with that, God was promising him, you’re damn right.
And I’m going to deliver you. Nobody’s going to lose their life in this storm. The ship’s not going to make it too well, but nobody’s going to lose their life.
And you go on and read the rest of the record and nobody loses their life. And there’s like, I think, 276 people on this ship. And they all make it, whether they could swim or float on pieces of the ship to the shore, they all make it alive.
But that’s what it takes when we’re faced with challenge, when we’re coming up to a hurricane or hurricanes bearing down on us, or when we have a political situation, that’s threatening to bring calamity to our lives, we pray. We say, okay, God, we belong to you. And we know that you’re able to take care of us.
We don’t know how you’re going to do it. But you’re able to take care of us. And you’ve always been able to take care of your people.
And God will fulfill his obligation, because he’s bound to it. Just like Jesus Christ said, I can call right now and there’s 12 leaders of angels, better be by my side. Well, you’re no less a son of God than Jesus Christ is.
So it’s pretty outstanding. The Father, I thank you for your goodness, for your grace, for your love for us, for your promises in your word, and that we never lose sight of the truth that we belong to you, that we are your sons and daughters, and that you have proven yourself over and over again, and you will take care of us. Whether it’s taking the one stone in a slingshot and slaying the giant, or whether it’s just seeing you take care of our lives in such a fashion that we survive the storm.
God, thanks for taking care of us. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Key Takeaways
- Well, this had to be an almost devastating question for Jesus Christ to receive, because John is his cousin, family.
- See, these messengers that came from John are hearing this, because it says, while they were departing.
- But he picked up five because five is the number of grace.
- He was going to go with God’s grace to defeat this enemy.
- He says in verse four, but he answered and said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main message of “Never Lose Sight of Who You Are”?
This teaching examines “Never Lose Sight of Who You Are” through 2 Samuel 23, Ephesians 6, Matthew 26, Matthew 14, showing how john, says, christ shape a believer’s relationship with God, daily choices, and service to others.
Which scriptures are central to this teaching?
The teaching draws especially from 2 Samuel 23, Ephesians 6, Matthew 26, Matthew 14, Luke 7.
How can believers apply this teaching?
Believers can receive the truth presented, verify it in Scripture, and put it into practice with faith, humility, love, and consistent action.
Scripture References
2 Samuel 23; Ephesians 6; Matthew 26; Matthew 14; Luke 7; Matthew 4
This text was prepared from the teaching audio or source document. Please verify scripture references against your own Bible.
