This morning though I want to go deeper and I want to answer the question, WHO AM I,  REALLY! I can say that my identity is in Christ, but WHAT does that really mean? As I have said before, everyone today seems to want to talk about this issue, but I wonder, is the idea of…MY IDENTITY IN CHRIST

We are in the Series EASTER PEOPLE,  where we  are looking  at how we are to live in the reality of resurrection not just for ONE day Easter, but EVERY day!  We talked last week about responding to the Gospel and how EVERY TIME we respond to the Gospel it is Good News all over again.  We know our salvation is Good News.  We know the assurance of eternal life and the reality of abundant life is Good News, and yet the truth is the Gospel is something we are to Live-out everyday, and when ever we live it out it is Good News all over again. 

I wonder this morning how you came to faith in Christ? I wonder what your spiritual journey to Christ looked like? The truth is, while the journey looks different for all of us, there is still only ONE GOSPEL that begs of us all the SAME RESPONSE. In fact the Gospel we respond to today is the exact same Gospel they responded to 2000 years ago. The Gospel that exploded shortly after the resurrection and ascension of Christ and has continued to grow even to this day. In fact I doubt there is ever a time in history when the Gospel was not growing. One reason why, is the the more Christians are persecuted and the Gospel is attacked, the more the gospel spreads.

This morning I want to talk with you about a mother in the Bible that we could title the Faithful Mother.  WHO am I talking about? I will identify her in a moment. As we watch that  video, we have to be careful we are not left with the misconception that some mothers are more important than others, because that simply is NOT true. The truth is, as we will see this morning, there really are no unimportant mothers. Every mother is valuable and is vital. Mom’s did you hear me? You are valuable and vital. In fact you are more valuable and vital than you probably think you are.

We are in week two of our latest series, EASTER PEOPLE, where we are considering what it looks like to live in the reality of the Resurrection everyday. Easter as we said, is not just A DAY but it is A WAY of life! Today is part 2 of the sermon we started last week, THE EASTER REVOLUTION. We are asking the question, How did we get from the 500 + witnesses of the Resurrected Christ [in I Corinthians] to the 250 billion proclaimed followers of Christ today?

You know it is a bit ironic because the disciples had been looking for Jesus to lead a revolution and free Israel from Roman rule. When Jesus died they thought the revolution had died with Him. Little did they know that they revolution hadn’t ended it was just getting started. Oh and yes it would be the revolution they never saw coming. It didn’t free Israel from Rome, it freed mankind from Death, Satan and Sin, and the revolution continues today. It is just whether or not we are a part of it. Now in the passage we just read, Paul is laying a foundation for this revolution and giving His own account of the Easter Story. He shares how the Easter Story, or the Gospel is supported by 2 very significant elements.

Have you ever looked into a mirror at yourself and simply felt dead inside? Now I get that is a very personal question and you don’t have to answer it. Here is the thing, I will answer it. I can admit that yes there have been times in life when I have felt dead inside. In fact I’m not even sure if I can remember the circumstances, just that I have been there. To be honest I’m guessing we all have been. We all have those seasons from time to time when we just feel dead inside. In fact it is interesting while we live in a world full of life, full of people animals, and even an ecological system that is living, their is an undercurrent of death. Did you ever think about that? We are faced with life all around us everyday and yet their is this subtle  undercurrent of death.

This morning, we will learn about praying in the deep end from Jesus. We will see what praying from the deep ends looks like and why it is so important! Our key text is in Mark 14, where we find Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is the night before He is crucified. Mere hours before He is arrested and the events of the crucifixion begin to fall in place. Jesus takes Peter, James and John and goes to the Garden for what is His and the Bible’s most intense prayer. 

We have been talking about prayer now for the past four Sundays. This is week 5 of the 6 weeks we will spend on prayer! We have spent 4 weeks on prayer and we have looked at some of the dynamics of our prayers and the relationship between worship and prayer. Today though there are two questions we need to seriously consider in regards to our prayer.

The past two weeks we saw Paul praying for the Church at Ephesus, and he said in BOTH prayers, that he prayed “FOR THIS REASON.” What was that reason? Why was Paul praying for them? Because of their potential. He saw in them and prayed for them, that they would realize their potential. So  we might look at ourselves and think we could never do an all-night prayer gathering and yet it is my job to equip you, challenge you and help you see your hidden potential in Christ.