BIBLEWAY MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
2306 South FM 116/ PO Box 774
Copperas Cove, Texas 76522
Dr. W.G. (Will) Jackson, II, Senior Pastor
August 17, 2025, 11:00 AM Morning Service
THE SUMMER OF STEWARDSHIP
“Are You Identity Conscious Or Having An Identity Crisis?!”
RESPONSIVE READING:
Psalm 139:1-14 NKJV
SERMON TEXT: 2 Corinthians 5:17
NKJV & AMP RESPONSIVE READING:
Psalm 139:1-14 NKJV
1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
SERMON TEXT:
2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].
Introduction:
Different from worldly identity, Christian identity can be defined as identity in Christ: how God sees a believer through Jesus Christ and His redemptive work. In other words, it is the Creator’s authoritative answer to a believer’s question, “Who am I?” Because Christian identity is a divinely proclaimed reality, it supersedes all the other identities and identity markers that a person or a group may have. This also means that Christ’s followers are more than their race, social status, gender, and nationality since their new identity in Christ supersedes all the worldly markers of identity.
Who are you? Your identity is found in Christ.
Being reborn in Christ, we’ve come into His light. He has given us a new identity. We turned away from the empty things that once filled our lives. The old things passed away and the new has come.
In 2 Corinthians 5, the Bible says that…
Jesus died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them . . . anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
SUPPORTINGSCRIPTURE:Psalm 116:12-13 NKJV
12 What shall I render to the Lord For all His benefits toward me?
13 I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the Lord.
Psalm 139:14 NKJV
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV
1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
Ephesians 2:10 NKJV
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
CONCLUSION:
The Adversary/Enemy does not give up.
He will never stop trying to convince you that you’re not who God says you are. He’ll use your negative thoughts, hurtful people, and worldly value systems and values to try to convince you that you’re…
Not good enough
Not pure enough
Not worthy of God’s love
Unlovable
Worthless
And that you might as well give up.
Even though we know these things aren’t true, they can seep into our minds without us even noticing. We all have areas of life that are particularly sensitive for us—old wounds and parts of our lives where we feel extra vulnerable. These are the areas where the enemy likes to come and attack us. We need to fight this battle by replacing the words of the liar with words of truth from the Bible. And we get better at this the more we practice it.
God says in the Bible that you are…
His child
That you are chosen and incredibly loved
Completely washed clean by Jesus’ blood
Securely saved out of death, and
Created for a wonderful purpose.
Your identity is no longer in the world, or in yourself, and certainly not in the lies the enemy would have you believe because you have been made new and old things are passed away.
ARE YOU IDENTITY CONSCIOUS OR HAVING AN IDENTITY CRISIS?
NEVER FORGET YOU ARE A NEW CREATION, FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE FOR GOD’S GREAT PURPOSE, MODELED IN JESUS CHRIST AND LED AND MATURED BY AND THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT!”
DO YOU KNOW JESUS IN THE PARDON OF YOUR SINS?
THE DOOR OF THE CHURCH IS OPEN.
BENEDICTION:
Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
Jude 1:25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion, and power, both now and ever. Amen.