Unpacking Authentic Identity – Don Keathley

[Music] [Music] welcome morning everybody and I want to welcome you once again to the digital cathedral Sunday morning obviously we're still in our shelter in place here in Houston Texas and I expect we will be for several weeks more so I'm doing the digital cathedral from my study my office at home but I am still glad that you're with me hope hope all is going well in your part of the country and you're staying safe and doing whatever you have to do to get through this this tough period of time I told my wife this week that I felt really strange doing a Sunday morning out of out of my study out of my office and it felt a little bit strange and I hope that my members of the digital cathedral didn't mind that I wasn't behind that you know in a church setting or in a building setting behind a pulpit or a podium and she said you know she said I don't think people come to the digital Cathedral because of the ambience or where you're at she said I think they come to the digital Cathedral for the word so I hope that's the case in that this doesn't throw you or or make you feel any different about what we do at the digital Cathedral so we're here today to gather to continue our study and right now we're up to Ephesians chapter one and we're going to look at verses 11 through 23 today I did a series a couple of years ago that I called embracing your divinity if you've never if you've never watched that series it's all on YouTube I think it's about 20 parts it might well be worth your time to look at it in that series we discovered the fact that there is an objective truth and the objective truth is that our authentic identity the identity that we've had from the very beginning is divinity I mean you can't you can't be formed an image and likeness of divinity without being divinity right if I were to create a Hershey a candy bar and the image and likeness of a Hershey bar then its identity it's company chocolate I don't care whatever way you slice it and dice it John said it like this he said of his fullness we have all all receive I love that verse it's in first chapter John I think it's probably around verse 6 7 8 somewhere right in there John said of his fullness we have all received you can't have the fullness of Jesus you can't have the fullness of everything he is without measure which he had to spirit without measure without that equating to divinity if Jesus really is the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form which which the Bible tells us in Colossians chapter 1 verse 9 that he actually is that in Jesus in that in a human form Jesus dwelt the fullness of the of the Godhead bodily and then the next verse verse 10 really blows it away and it tells us that in him in this one that is the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form that you are absolutely complete also I don't think there's anything that could assure your divinity more than knowing that you're fully absolutely complete in the one himself who is the fullness of the Godhead so what John said of his wholeness we've all received the fact that we are image and likeness of divinity himself I think really settles this fact in that you and I have an authentic identity of divinity and that's what Paul's setting out in his first chapter of Ephesians to really settle into the thinking of the Ephesian Christians Paul sets out to unpacked their authentic identity as divinity now just by way of quick review the Ephesians the Ephesian Christians Ephesian Church were following Jesus no question about it they were Jesus followers the problem Paul had with them was that they were living way below their position they were living way below of the identity that they had as divinity so Paul sets up from this very first chapter he sets out to establish who they have always been and who they are right now because of the death burial resurrection finished work of the cross this is one of those areas that you and I were never taught in church we were never taught who we had always been and we were never taught that because the one teaching us had no clue himself they they had no earthly idea that we had an identity as divinity so we were not taught that because you can't go farther than what the teacher is right so the teacher had no knowledge of that kind of revelation at that time so we were never instructed so today as this mystery is being unveiled I think it's it's having a profound effect on the body of Christ now remember what I told you last week about this book of Ephesians is really important chapters 1 2 & 3 explain to them who they are Paul does a masterful job and as we come through these first three chapters I want this to really settle into your thinking as to who you are as well chapters 1 2 3 Paul establishes identity matter of fact he establishes identity as divinity then in chapters 4 5 and 6 Paul says now that you know who you are you need to live it out you need to walk it out and I think Paul was was in those last three chapters he was getting at the fact that if you can't live out what you believe that it really has little value it's a it's it's a little help to know who you are in Christ chapters 1 2 3 through through identity through finished work of the cross through the father's plan from the beginning if you cannot manifest it probably manifestation is one of the key words of the day it's it's it's it's become a buzzword of the day because many of us are seeing that the call of the days to manifest as sons of God so the the teaching that Paul is giving here in the book of Ephesians is absolutely essential to us fulfilling that destiny that we have as sons what Paul is laying out in the ephesians 1 chapter 1 from the get-go is not for head knowledge so i don't want you to I don't want you to necessarily listen to the teachings that I'm doing it Digital Cathedral especially as we what go through the books of Galatians Ephesians Philippians and Colossians I don't want you to necessarily listen to it with your mind I I don't want I don't want you just to build a good theology a good belief system all that's important I'm one that I'm not against theology théo God ology study of I'm not against a good study of God I'm not against having a good belief system but that's really not the purpose of what Paul was was getting at in the book of Ephesians Paul was was after transforming them he was after I can almost see Paul taking them by the shoulders and shaking them to awaken them Paul wanted to provide for them revelation that they could live by that would enable them that would empower them to live as Jesus lives in this present world so last week we went through verses 1 through 10 we got through the first 10 verses of chapter 1 and we uncovered four strong identity building unchangeable truths I want to hit those four real quick just just to review and then I want to give you three more out of verses eleven through twenty three so we'll polish off the first chapter of Ephesians today now last week let me remind you we discovered four things first of all in verse three of chapter one we discovered that he has already blessed us past tense blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places the word that probably throws us off a little bit there is the word spirit blessing or he has blessed us in the spirit with every blessing every conceivable blessing that you could ever need I want you to just think outside the box with me a little bit everything that you see comes from spirit what you can't see isn't that how God created everything you see he created out of what you can't see so everyone Paul says you have been blessed with every spirit blessing he's taking you into that unseen realm and he's saying look in this unseen realm there is everything that you'll ever ever need for anything in life any situation any problem any dilemma that arises there's a blessing in the spirit even though you can't see it it's there for you pause laying down some groundwork a boy in the weeks and months ahead I want to talk more and more about this because it is a pressing need how to move things from what you can't see into what you can see I'm getting some strong understanding about this I can't wait to share some of the revelation that I'm seeing and is beginning to manifest in my life I'm moving from the unseen to the scene so we'll get to that in due time let's just keep laying some good good groundwork so in effect Paul is giving them insight how to produce what they need from that realm of what from where they can't see which is exactly what Hebrews Chells us in Hebrews chapter 11 in verse 3 Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 3 says by faith we understand that the worlds were framed brought into existence they were framed by the Word of God that doesn't mean they were framed by the Bible it means they were framed by the word that God spoke that's the real Word of God the word that God speaks so that the things which are seen we're not made of things which are visible what the writer Hebrews is getting at is just what Paul's getting at we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places and the writer of Hebrews says that's the way God worked blessing from the very beginning God blessed the entire universe by bringing into that scene realm that which you cannot see and he used the words that he spoke I'll just throw in here as well as just a little quick rabbit trail that may help you with this like I said we're gonna get into this a lot more in the weeks ahead before God ever spoke that that that word that framed the worlds he first envisioned what he wanted to create on day one day two day three four five six there were specific things that God focused his attention on he saw them with the eye of his imagined and then he used the words of his mouth to frame what he was seeing in the eyes of with the eyes of his imagination first of all the father had to see it before he could say it and he could he saw it long enough and held on to it tight enough until it actually manifested in and existed all right that's just a little bit of a teaser on where I think we're going so the first thing we uncovered last week which really builds identity when you understand that you have already past tense been blessed with every spiritual blessing in an unseen realm that you have been empowered with to bring to the scene realm that establishes that you're you're not like a bird of the air or fish of the sea that there's something different about you that creates a perception an identity of how you should be seeing yourself all right second thing we saw was in verse 4 where he secured our position in Christ before the foundation of the world as it says in verse 4 just as he chose us his choosing absolutely is choosing he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that means that your life was hid with Christ in God before anything ever transpired so to get to you here's the security that he's building to get to you anything I don't care what it is anything to get to you has to first come through the Father and through the son to get to you now again this verse 4 is something we never knew we absolutely never knew that we were placed in Christ before the foundation of the world I've never heard one message and I grew up in the church I never heard one message my entire life about him choosing me before the foundation of the world the only message that I ever heard is that I had to choose him within the limits of my lifetime within a threescore in 10 or 80 years or however many years I have on the planet I have to accept him nobody ever told me he picked me ahead of time that brings some sick by knowing that he has chosen me in Christ before the foundation of the world that tells me how well-protected I am how well insulated I am it tells me that I don't face anything by myself I wish that I would have had that assurance all of my life I've come through some dilemmas you've come through some dilemmas we've come through some hard times in our life if you've lived if you've lived life at all you have come through so difficulties and a lot of times I felt like man I'm facing this stuff all by myself I never knew I'd never knew that I had been chosen in him and that whatever I faced he was facing it with me the most difficult times in the life of Jesus the father was with him when Jesus hung on the cross the father did not abandon him the father did not forsake him Jesus was not there alone in fact scripture says that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself he was with Jesus through every drive of the nail through the piercing of his side with a sword through every difficult through the beating the father the father felt exactly what Jesus felt and whatever you go through I want to I want you to know as I remember in the digital Cathedral you should feel secure because you might be facing something really difficult today either you have faced something difficult you're facing something difficult or I can assure you in this world you will have tribulation you will face some difficulties but whatever you face them you have to know that you're not doing it you're not in that thing alone you're not facing it by yourself it's not up to you to figure out how to get through it the one who is with you who chose you before the foundational have placed you within Christ and that's where you you have settled into you are hidden with Christ in God so that whatever whatever comes whatever goes and it makes it a little bit easier to face to know that he's facing it with you and if you will be conscious of that believe me it'll bring some peace it'll bring some security it will help you face what you face with a different perspective John chapter 14 and verse 20 Jesus said in that day you'll know that I'm in the father and that you're in me and that I'm in you when Jesus prayed to prayer in John chapter 17 and I want to read it so that I get it just exactly right when Jesus prayed the prayer in John 17 that he prayed for all of us he prayed a couple of really great things in verse 23 and verse 24 jesus prayed this this is a prayer for you from Jesus he said I pray that they would know that I am in them and that you're in me that they may be made perfect and one and that the world may know Melissa that the world may know that you have loved them exactly like you have loved me so not only is he saying his in his prayer that we would know that we are one in him as the father is in Jesus and Jesus in the father and they are in us but Jesus prays and I want them to know that you love them with the same love that you love me that's a that's a that's a big love I don't think any of us doubt how much the father loved Jesus but we said well that was Jesus well that's why Jesus prayed this so that you would get the revelation and you sometimes you got to ponder these things you have to think about it until it settles in until it comes from your heart up to your mind because your mind seeing yeah yeah but you don't know the things I've done the thoughts I've had that that is that means nothing to the love of the Father no let me read on he also said in verse 24 father I desire that they also whom you gave me may be with me where I am wherever he is we are and wherever we are he is right we travel together that they may behold my glory which you have given me you loved me before the foundation of the world now he said two things and those in those two verses in extremely important said verse 23 he said father I'm pray do you think Jesus ever prayed to prayer it wasn't answered I don't think Jesus prayed father I pray that they would know that the love you have for me is a love you have for them and then he says in verse 24 father I know that you loved me before the foundation of the world so the love that you are to know that you possess the love that Jesus has is the love of the father which was secured before the foundation of the world I just want to throw that in there this morning because I think you you need to understand that whatever you walk through because he chose you as a son before the foundation of the world that he has secured your position he has secured you in Christ and there's no way that you're coming out of that and we're talking more about that in just a couple of moments because he seals it down even tighter later in the chapter alright the third thing that we we learned was that he predestined us for sonship not only did he choose you in Christ before the foundation of the world but the Father pre-wired you he set the plan in motion for you also to be a son right he he didn't need your help in doing this see he didn't need your prayer to extend to you sonship I mean the father has never needed your help right he enjoys your relationship he enjoys the fellowship but when he created the world he didn't need your help and he doesn't need your help to complete what he said he's pre-wired he has predestined you for sonship verse five says we've looked at it last week he has pre-wired you predestined you for sonship and that's a work that is totally his doing he's not depending on you to finish it he's not he's not depending on him saying to yo Kevin you to be a Sunnah you work it out you be good enough and show yourself worthy to be my son your place your place in any of this is just to enter rest and then to respond to what he shows you respond to what he says not initiating action that has brought so much rest to my life what I know that I don't have to initiate the action that I'm a responder not an initiator so throughout this chapter Asians Paul is reminding of he's bringing them truth he's saying guys these are things that the father has done for you apart from your work apart from your efforts apart from your striving apart from your understanding he has he has sovereignly made some decisions to to bless you with every spiritual blessing he has made a decision to place you in Christ before the foundation of the world he's made a decision all on his own to fit to begin and finish your sonship and then the fourth thing we learned last week is that he has fully redeemed us what does that mean exactly it means that he has fully released you from any bonds and he snares any ties any debt that you feel that you would have to have to become worthy within his sight nothing from yesterday nothing from today nothing from tomorrow can incur a greater debt than what the redeemed price he paid will release you from now something really has struck me and I haven't worked this out so I this will probably maybe create more questions than answers but it also often asked myself who did he pay the redemption price to did he have to pay the devil off did he have to pay himself here's the revelation that hit me this week and I haven't developed it but I'll come back and develop it someday I think the price of redemption he paid he paid it to you he paid you to redeem you from a false self he paid the he paid the debt he paid the price of whatever it would take to to move you from who you thought you were who you told you were who religion poured into you that you were he he paid you to redeem you from that false self that the real you now could begin to come forth I just put it may be some of you all have some some insight on that I'd love to hear it I think that's the price that redemption was paid now those are four strong things blessed with all spiritual blessing heavenly places secured us in Christ before the foundation of the world pre-wired us for sonship and deemed us but like the TV pitchman says but that's not all there's still more I want to give you three more identifying building truth identity building truths in the rest of the chapter so we're gonna read a few verses I'm just going to go a kind of a verse at a time to unwind this for you so I hope hope you listen closely and you know there's nothing wrong with going back to listening to these teachings a second or a third time because you're gonna pick up more every time you listen to it and you know what you're gonna pick up the more times you listen to it you'll pick up more than the words that I speak about the second or third time through you're gonna you're gonna pick up on the spirit that I'm conveying I'm I'm giving you the Christ that is within need to the Christ that is within you then about you know the time or two you listen to it after that the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Truth will begin to take you beyond the parameters outside the borders of what I've been teaching he will show you more you we will never exhaust all of this I can teach you all I know but that's not all there is to know and the Spirit of Truth if you look at this again you'll begin to unwind some things for you that maybe are still a little cloudy or that I didn't make clear you know there's a teaching I intend to give there's actually a teaching you hear and then there's the teaching that I actually do give so there's about three things that go on every time the digital cathedral meets alright let's look let's look at another one number five number five from verse eleven Ephesians chapter one verse 11 it says this in him we also have obtained an inheritance so the fifth thing that he's building into their identity is the fact that they have an inheritance let me read the whole verse and also him also we have obtained an inheritance being predestined here's your ears your here's your inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will now let me unpack that just a little bit for you know you have this inheritance Paul says and it's part of your identity you need to see that in the bank you this inheritance that is inexhaustible you will never you'll never be able to spend it all all right it's an exhaustible inheritance and the inheritance that goes beyond your wildest dreams your wallace ambitions is his purpose and his will that he is fully deposited in to your account now let me ask you a question is it inheritance drawn on and enjoyed while you live or after you die if you've ever gotten any kind of inheritance you know that the inheritor the one that gave you the inheritance wanted you he left you or she left you something to enjoy why you live this inheritance that has been deposited into our our account direct deposited has been given to us not to enjoy after we die see it's not about heaven it's about the abundant life it's about Kingdom living now you might be surprised when you find that death is nothing more than it enhanced consciousness of a dimension that you aren't aware of and you might find that you're even able to absorb the inheritance even greater than it might be could it possibly be an inheritance that you can enjoy for all eternity right and never reach the bottom of his inheritance to you is the working out of his will in your life he his will is always better than your will right absolutely that that when you when you finally surrender your will you're gonna find that his will is so much better than the will that you held on so tight that you wanted so much you thought to come to pass it it takes time to figure that out the his will is much better near well more fulfilling richer deeper more rewarding then your will would ever be it took Paul time to figure that out you remember what Paul prayed in in the second Corinthians chapter 12 what is it verses seven eight nine ten he said I went to the Lord three times I had to this thorn in the flesh that was bucking me I told you I thought it was the Judaizers as mine I can't prove it but you can't prove it was his eyesight or any other things theories that are out there I think it was the Judaizers and three times he went and he said father I wish you'd get this thing off my back and you know what God came back and he says my grace is sufficient for you in other words Paul the will that I have for you is better than what you think should be removed that you could enjoy life more fully Paul Ghana he said most gladly therefore will I like glory and tribulations because in my weakness his strength is perfected so he has a will and that will is his inheritance the father's inheritance is your father's the father's inheritance is your portion of the will that he has for all that is measured by the same portion of Jesus inheritance I'm not sure I made that real clear father has an inheritance for you the inheritance is of the same proportion of Jesus inheritance your joint heirs with Jesus everything you had for Jesus every blessing you had for Jesus every revelation of insight you had for Jesus belongs to you we're joint ears if you if you pass away and you have four children and they are all joint heirs that means say I'll get 25% of your your will right that's their inheritance they all share equally so the father says I have an inheritance and he says you and Jesus are joint heirs that means we we share together we share equally you were molded from the very beginning to fully reflect and model and walk as the first son so the father makes sure that you're able to do that by equipping you and giving you everything that the prototype that the model son has in Romans chapter 8 and verse 29 it says this it says every person every person that he for know he predestined so every person that God knew would ever be on the play he predestined to be conformed to the image of his first son now every person is on the planet has the same inheritance same portion of the will same portion that Jesus has I don't have more than you have you don't have more than I have we don't need to look at one another as being lesser or greater than more gifted there are less gifted that we all have a a measure we have the same measure that's been given to us now some have developed it some have worked it some have taken advantage of it some have actually begin to spend it and find out that as you spend it more is replaced it's like you have a check-in account fathers giving you a check-in account he's put put X number of dollars in it and when you've writen enough checks that you've drawn down on ease there's no problem he just replenishes the account that's the portion of your inheritance so you were pre designed and engineered after the the the model himself Jesus Jesus his is the model when we look at Jesus the the prototype the example the pattern the first bill we looked at his life we look at his ministry look at what he did it should give us an inclination into how we are to also be I know that that verse from first John 4:17 that tells us as he is so are we in this world can be kind of a mystery but let me unfold a mystery for you look at the life of Jesus whatever you see transpiring in the life of Jesus should be what is transpiring in the life of every son and every daughter and it will be it is it is much more than you realize you are you're doing far more than you were last year two years ago five years ago in this regard you're living out more you've come to understand a whole lot more so what what's Paul doing it in the mind of the Ephesians Paul is building into the mind of these believers how their life would be lived out in harmony with the Father's plan the father's design the father's purpose and the father's intent which would be the highest purpose for which they were created if you want to know the best use of something that has been produced you should ask the manufacturer the car you drive you wanted to know the the highest best use for it read the owner's manual find out if you drive a Ford Ford Motor Company will tell you how to get the best use out of that for it if you drive a Chevrolet General Motors will tell you if you have a if you have a household appliance if you have a you know Maytag washing machine they'll tell you the best way how to get the best life out of that out of that washing machine the manufacturer knows the best use the father built you listen to me look look we right bi here to digital cathedral on Sunday morning April the 12 2020 look at me right in the eye the father built you for the purpose in Christ that brings to you the most joy and the most happiness that's the way he designed you his purpose and plan for you is the thing that makes you the happiest I heard somebody say the other day that if you really want to do well in life find out what you love to do and get really good at it I wish somebody would have told me that when I was really young I would have planned a whole lot better than I've planned see most of us spend a lot of our life not really understanding that God knows best or that God even knew us before we were born at that verse verse 4 of that first chapter is such a mind-blowing verse but it's confirmed over in in Jeremiah let me read if I can find it let me let me just read you real quick out of the verse of Jeremiah Jeremiah chapter chapter 1 this is what God told Jeremiah and I wish I hope that God tells all of this also to us by revelation in Jeremiah chapter one verse four Jeremiah says in verse four behold the word of the Lord came to me and said this when the word of the Lord comes to you and says what I'm about to read says for you your purpose your design God's plan for you it brings a release it brings something that elevates your consciousness and for me it it triggered it triggered and triggered a security that what I was doing was right and that I just needed to get better at it get good or Ana right here's what he says in verse five he said behold before I formed you in the womb I knew you does that sounded vaguely like Ephesians 1:4 to you absolutely this to me and he said I've I formed you I knew you before you were born I sanctified you that means I separated you off does that sound like verse five visions one that he predestined us pre-wired us to be sons he said I sanctified I set you aside gave you this purpose and I ordained you to be a prophet to the nation's now you know what brought the most fulfillment to the life of Jeremiah this stuff excites me what brought the greatest joy to life at Jeremiah was to fulfill what the father designed him to be from the very beginning that's good stuff right there all right so whatever whatever you're doing now if you say well I don't know what he designed me to do well what is it that makes you the happiest whatever makes you the happiest do it God's not a guy's not a father that that really gets excited when you're doing stuff you hate that's a drudgery that's a bore what I do at the digital Cathedral I'm telling you I get it when I would I prepare these teachings ahead of time I get so excited I guess so cranked up on a babe Menace you know i preached myself happy sometimes i said here there's no camera roll I'm just preaching to myself sometimes a little embarrassing because my wife comes in when I'm I'm gesturing and preaching and reading and you know she walks in and I'm preaching to myself I'm getting myself happy by what I do and I've done this all my adult life but I I don't think there's any other life I would have really rather lived if I if I hadn't been called to do this I probably would have been an attorney I would have loved to been a litigating attorney that would have been I could have been happy doing something in a financial world there's a lot of things that interest me but this is what really fulfill this is what cranks my engine this is what lights my fire and I want you to find that thing I don't care how old you are what if I'm already retired look if you're retired you've got the time to do what you really enjoy to do and whatever you're enjoy doing take it and conform it into something that will advance the kingdom doesn't matter what it is because whatever you do God's right in the middle of it isn't that what we've just been reading that you know he was always with us he's never left us never forsake this so whatever you whatever you like he put that in there he put that thing in there that makes you joyful it makes you happy do it and do with perfection get good at it you don't feel like if you want to jump in them Motorhome like my friend Gordon and Maddie and just travel travel the United States do it and every place you stop you just let your light shine God will open up a lot of doors for you no matter what you enjoy doing all right let's read out here let me give you number 6 so number 5 was he's given us an inheritance inexhaustible beautiful inheritance you'll never draw down the account beyond what he has deposited into it all right let's let me give you another verse 13 verse 14 chapter 1 verse there burst verse 13 in whom you also trusted after you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation in whom you having believed you were sealed with a holy spirit of promise you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise who is the guarantee or the downpayment of our inheritance all right we read that we've got an inheritance now he's he has told us and here's number 6 that you've been sealed by the Holy Spirit he has taken that inheritance and he has sealed it into your life let me let me let me read I get so excited I should read the whole thing in him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation in whom also having believed or responded to it that's what believing is it's a responding to this gospel of your salvation you're foolish your wholeness when you responded to that he came along and he sealed you with the spirit of promise so that you would never come out of that condition who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to the praise of his glory right so number five number six the blessing number six that Paul's building into their identity and he say look I need to put this part on you you need to understand he's tell the Ephesian Church and I'm telling you this morning at the digital Cathedral you need to understand that you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit that totally ensures everything that he has Doug will not evaporate or escape my grandma grandma sass used to make strawberry jam now you know the difference between jam and jelly right jelly has no berries in it Jam is the good stuff it actually has the berries in it she used to make strawberry jam and she would make biscuits that were as big as your hand and I can remember sitting at the table in their kitchen and eating those those strawberry preserves that she had made on those hot biscuits butter him lather them up with that fresh strawberry jam I mean there's there's nothing that was any better but she would take all the jam I didn't eat and she would put it that some of you remember this put it in ball dome jars how many of you ever used to bald old jar kind of dating myself there are like she would put the jelly in the bald dome jars and then she would put a wax seal on it right when she put the wax seal on that ball dome jar she would then take him down to the basement she called it the cellar it was a farm house and it wasn't you know wasn't like basements in houses well we don't have basements in Texas up in Michigan we got nice basements they build them out there like rec rooms that wasn't so on the farm it was a cellar was just dug down into ground hits stone walls but she had shelves donar my grandpa had built all kind of shale and she would out of the garden she would can beans and peas and all kinds of things peaches all kind of fruit but she would take this the strawberry jam after she had sealed it right with a wax seal she put the jar topside take him out put him in a cellar so that she could have fresh strawberry jam whatever she wanted it now he has sealed you and the seal he put on you is the Holy Spirit and what that does it preserves you and protects you like it did my grandma's strawberry jam there was nothing that could get into that strawberry jam once it was sealed with that wax seal once he seals you with the holy spirit there's nothing that's going to change you that makes you complete the process is fixed my my grandma never went down one time to get strawberry preserves and brought him up and said oh my gosh they've turned into blueberries never once you're not gonna change from being God's sealed by him to one day he looks at you and says oh my gosh you've turned into the devil's you've become the devil's property no that's why he wanted to build into their identity this idea of being sealed right sealed is very important it's it's one of the things that helps us in our identity to know that we are secure and we're sealed David saw it back in Psalm chapter 24 verse 1 he says that the entire world is the Lord's and all those that dwell there and he sealed all of us he's never let go of ownership or possession of anything he's ever created to honestly in the in the wildest of your imaginations do you think the father would create anything that would end up being the devil's property absolutely not he sealed it with the Holy Spirit that's a that's an airtight seal and you can't break it only he can and he won't break it until he redeems the purchased possession which you are the purchase possession now the seal can also come I've also seen Kings that have rings and you know when they would send a letter they would take the ring at like a signet and stamp on their with hot wax that would be the seal of the King well he has taken and he has set a seal on you he has sealed us with his seal and it shows that we are authentic that were genuine that we truly are his right so that's number six now let me read out Paul kind of begins to encourage them in verse fifteen a little bit this isn't one of the points but he just encourages them he said therefore I also after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints he said I don't cease to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers he said I'm think I'm so thankful for y'all Paul's encouraging he says you know what guys he says you know your faith in your love for the Lord it inspires me and I would I would say that to you this morning out of the digital Cathedral your love and your devotion for the Lord the journey that you're on dirt there is no group of people I tell people this all the time there's no group of people that I would rather make this journey within the people that watch Sunday morning out the digital Cathedral the people that are with me on Wednesday night on Wednesday night life I I feel such a kinship such a bond with you and I do back you with me I feel like we're interconnected and sometimes when I go out speaking and ministering at a conference or a church or something and I get to meet some of you that are part of the digital Cathedral it's it's a great joy and you know what it seems like when I meet you I've known you all my life you're just like I thought you would be I have yet to meet one of you grazers out there that's entirely different than the way you presented yourself well I think we're we're at ease being our authentic selves here at the digital Cathedral I'm very relaxed about that so Paul says I love you guys your faith your love to the Lord is an encouragement for me and I think after all this heavy revelation that Paul's had given them he's kind of taken a deep breath in verse 15 he's not wanting to overwhelm them he's wanting to give he's wanting to fill as full as he can fellow but he's not wanting to overwhelm them so he kind of stepped steps back and takes a deep breath so that their head can stop spinning so in verse 16 he says I always make mention of you in my prayers and he says this is what I've been praying for you Ephesians and what he prayed for the Ephesians I want to be my prayer personally for me to you this morning can I just pray this for you in verse 16 he prayed and this is what I pray for you that God would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation not just not just revelation I pray God would give you the wisdom the know-how how to put it to work how to put it to use how to make it effective in your life then he prays in verse 18 he said I pray that the eyes of your understanding would be enlightened that you'd know the depth of this inheritance that you have in Christ he prays in verse 19 so I pray that to verse 18 verse 19 I pray that the eyes of your understanding would be enlightened and the things that I'm sharing with you this morning they would go beyond the words that I'm speaking you feel the spirit that comes out you would see the Christ in me and embrace the Christ that is within you then he says this inheritance that you have in verse 20 he said I'm praying that you would see that it's the same power this inheritance it's it's Dunamis its power its explosiveness and it's the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and he said I pray that you'd see your position in Christ that is far above all principality and power and might and Dominion and every name that is named that you're sealed in Christ at that place then in verse 22 verse 23 he begins to unwind all of it and he gives us number seven I love number seven look at verse twenty-two with me he says that he has put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the church Jesus is the head over all things that have been placed under the feet of Jesus let me read verse 22 and 23 together so you get the context and the father has put all things under the feet of Jesus and gave Jesus to be the head over all things to the church which is his body which is his body all things are under the feet of Jesus question are the feet in the head or the body feeder in the body guess guess what all things are coming under the feet of the church he says the church is his body now watch this the church is the fullness of him who fills all in all so he tells us verse 22 verse 23 number seven seven thing he's building into their identity he's tying the the ephesian church and I'm tying you this morning into Union to Christ who has together we make one body he's the head and we're all these functioning parts of the body and he says I put everything under the feet under the body I've made him to be the head and he says here's here's what the church actually is the churches is the body the body is the fullness of him again we come back to that thing that you and I are the fullness of Christ see we are Christ don't turn me off don't don't flip your video off Jesus was the human man Christ was the eternal spirit Don is the flesh man Christ is the eternal spirit that resides within me you could call me Don Christ I could call you Billy Christ soozee Christ whatever your first name is because you are the fullness of him and he emphasizes who feels all and is in all so I think Pauline a strong word out here in this very first chapter the Spirit of Truth today is unpacking revelation like I've never seen it uh I'd never heard teaching like I'm teaching you except from myself there's a few others I highly recommend well I'm not going to get into names because I'll forget some but there are a few around that are really unpacking truth and you know why is because the spirit of Revelation is active not only in those that are teaching but those that are listening if you don't have ears to hear and eyes to see it doesn't matter what depth I teach from you're not going to get it there's the spirit of Revelation is is is flowing it's working in all of us and I look I will guarantee you that what I have spoken this morning the Spirit of Truth has triggered other things in your understanding it has brought revelation to you in things I haven't even mentioned I've talked ABC Holy Spirit is showing you hij totally unrelated that's what's going on today the the more we disconnect here's my promise to you the more we disconnect from the world's pull from the ties that cords the bonds all the junk that the world tries to get our attention with all the Fox News CNN MSNBC even localness only thing we have on local news now is about the the coronavirus all of that distracts us you can watch 20 minutes of that a day and get caught up you don't need to have that taught you time after time after time if it'll dull your spirit sensitivity believe me so in this very first chapter of Ephesians Paul lays out what the battle really is and I just kind of let you know what the battle really is it's it's not people the battle is the supremacy of the identity that he has revealed to us it's the supremacy of what God speaks to us and shows us who we oughtn't eclis have always been everything repelled revealed to be fully embraced has to come through a renewed mind a thinker that has changed that has repented God completely the other direction most of the time so the things we're talking about that's why God's renewing your mind that's why he's pulling stuff away from you why he's connecting you maybe from some relationships because he's transforming your mind he's getting you away from connections all right it's bond renewed - not about your flesh flesh gets a lot of attention flesh gets a lot of publicity flesh has no power there's only one power it's the father flesh does whatever it's directed to do from the soul of the Spirit and once you tap into one power that is from spirit your flesh will obey spirit so Paul's moving the Ephesians toward a spirit man that is power absolutely power packed and that's my that's my call I'm the digital Cathedral I want to be the guy that is power packed that can that can convey and impart impart to you the the same power that we have together that raised Jesus from the dead and he leads you into all of that through the prayer that he made at the end of the chapter okay that takes care of chapter one let me give you heads up next week we start chapter two and he's gonna build on chapter one and he's going to bring Christ right into the center of everything that we do Christocentric is going to become an extremely big word in your vocabulary Christocentric Christ centered Christ is the center of it all and Paul's gonna do some good teaching out there all right question of the week is this that will take out a wind see the question of the week can you live more than what Revelation has revealed to you can you live more than what Revelation has revealed I want you to stance er that because in answering it you're going to see the importance of Revelation hey thank you for being with me this has been an awesome time I don't care if it's been sheltering in place or not honestly I like doing this at home better frankly I my fizz right in the ambience doesn't affect you I may do this at home forever I don't know I really do it I feel a freedom here I love ministering to you guys I love teaching I love to have people around me that have ears and eyes and want to hear more so thank you for being with me thank you for the support I especially think those of you that have contributed on a monthly basis whatever the amount it just lets you know that hey I'm with you keep spreading keep traveling keep writing which we've got some books coming out very very soon first books gonna be on Hell's illusion got some books coming out very soon it just encourages me to keep going and it helps me to pay for some of the stuff I have to do publishing and editing them the things that go on so thank you god bless you we'll see you Wednesday night in the question of the week can you live more than the revelation you receive see you Wednesday and back next Sunday morning on the digital Cathedral thank you for being a faithful member [Music] you

Channel: Don Keathley

Views: 3,187

Rating: 4.8476191 out of 5

Keywords: God, Jesus, Grace, Preaching, Advice, Love, Grace Church, Jesus Christ, Pure Grace, Radical Grace, Don Keathley, Joseph Prince, Andrew Wommack, Creflo Dollar

Id: dPING1ame48

Length: 55min 17sec (3317 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 19 2020