All right, go with me to the book of Hebrews. All right, so most people, let me rephrase, most born again, people, believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you will, have an issue with identity. But yet identity is such a simple thing. I’ll elaborate, but I want to show you something and I trust that this is going to really bless you. Let’s read from Hebrews, chapter 12. Now this is quite a lot of reading. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience. The race that is before us. And I want you to stop there for a second. I’m going to read this from the amplified because this is actually the punchline. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness, it says in the amplified Bible, stripping off every unnecessary weight. And the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence, the race that is set before us. So what is the sin? That he’s talking about. Let’s read on. Looking away from all that will distract. Unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Now look at me real quick. What is the sin? The sin is the distraction that takes you out of the race. I’m going to say it again. The sin is the distraction that takes you out of the race. Most of the time. So the Bible also teaches that anything that is not of faith is ok, so people think that sin is carnality or carnality is sin. Carnality is only the fruit of sin but sin is the absence of faith. So if a distraction is a sin. In other words, a distraction that takes you out of your race. If that is a sin, it means that a distraction will pull you out of faith. A distraction will pull you out of faith. It doesn’t put you into faith. It doesn’t strengthen your faith. It doesn’t build your faith, but it pulls you out of faith. Now a lot of times we want to run to, you know, get a blessing from somewhere else and all that and that stuff is good because we believe in the gifts. We believe in the offices. We believe that God’s anointed people and for certain times and seasons, in order to equip the body of Christ, to build them up unto a perfect man. That’s Ephesians chapter 4, but the point is this is that. God also called you and he gave you a race. And the end line of your race at the end line of the race is the finisher of your faith. Who is Jesus? Now let me tell you why most people get distracted. We’re going to read on here for a second because this is actually really important. Most of the reason why people get distracted is because they start comparing themselves with one another. You know what that is? An identity issue. It’s an identity issue. It’s an issue of why do I look like this? And they look like that. Why am I less blessed than he is? Because the moment we do that. We try and take a splint from somebody else’s eye while we have a beam stuck in our own eyes. I’m saying we have a we have a beam. We have a post stuck in our eye while we’re trying to pick the splint from somebody else’s eye. Because the lens by which we see things is contaminated. It doesn’t allow us to see clearly what is going on, because I want to look like him or I want to look like her or I want to look like him. Or why is this happening? But why is that not happening? You understand? So I compare myself with somebody else and so I don’t see clearly as to what is really going on. Now let’s read on verse 3 for consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest she be wearied and faint. In your what minds? I’m tired. No, you’re not tired. You’re distracted. I’m worn out. No, you’re not worn out. You’re distracted. You’ve got a beam stuck in your eye and it’s poking into your brain. That’s why it’s not working properly. I’m actually serious. I’m not even joking about it. I mean, I know it sounds funny, and it probably is pretty funny. I mean, if a comedian gets ahold of that line, he can, like, go in 100 different directions with it. But the point is, is that what makes people tired is what’s stuck in their eye. Let’s go on. You have not resisted unto blood. Striving against sin, stop for a second. What was the sin? I know there’s different kinds of sin, but what was the sin in the context here? The sin in context here is distraction, a distraction that takes you out of the race. That is the sin. When Jesus went to the cross, he had Peter shouting at him after he told Peter he’s on his way to the cross. Peter shouted him and said not so loud, and Jesus turned round and said get behind me Satan. You follow what I’m saying so, what was the sin? The distraction. When Jesus went to pray every time in the garden of Gethsemane, this was his words. His words was the following. Father, if it is your will, let this cup pass. But if it’s not your will. You understand? So I’m not saying you need to run around and try to find out what God’s will is what. He was simply saying was I’ll do your will. I’ll run my race now. Of course he knew that he had to go to the cross because, if you know anything about the Old Testament and the Old Testament prophecies it all prophesied 100,000,000 times that he was going to go to the cross. So he knew it because he could quote the scriptures. That’s why he read from the Book of Isaiah. And the Bible says as it was his custom, so he knew exactly what he was saying. So when he was praying, the Will of the Father, what he was actually saying, he wasn’t trying to find out what the will of the father was, what he was actually saying was, father, keep me from being distracted, keep me from being distracted. Keep me from being distracted. Let’s go on to verse 5. Now the rest of this chapter, I’m not going to go into the whole length into it, but the rest of this chapter or most of the rest of this chapter speaks about correction, correction, correction, correction. And he says every son whom the father loves, he corrects. But for those that are not corrected, they are called illegitimate son. This is the rest of the chapter. Let’s read verse five and you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you as and to children. My son despises not thou, the chastening of the Lord, nor faint. When you are rebuked of him, for when the Lord love, forgive me, for whom the Lord loves he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you, as with sons, for what son is he whom the father Chastens not verse eight in the amplified? Now, if you are exempt from correction and without discipline, in which all of God’s children say, then you are illegitimate children, and not sons at all. Now I’ll just explain this briefly. It doesn’t mean you’re not born again. Doesn’t mean you don’t have a ticket to go to heaven. When you’ve wasted your life. All it means is that you are not mature. The word sons there is reals, which means that you are a mature person in the faith. Doesn’t say you’re not a child of God. Just says you’re not a son of God. In other words, there is no maturity. He’s throwing you away as these children. It’s not what it’s saying. It’s saying you are not sons. That’s a different thing from not being children. You follow. So it’s not a condemning thing as like he did, disowned you. It’s a disqualification of maturity. Now let me explain something. The number one reason why people get distracted is because of self worth. Now if I say self worth, I don’t mean your worth as an individual outside of Christ. I mean, you’re worth as an individual in Christ and the identity that he’s given you because of you having said yes to him and having made an agreement with the blood of the Almighty. In other words, you have an agreement with the atonement of Christ. That assigns a new identity to you. It assigns a new character and a new identity to you. You follow so, if we don’t understand the value of the righteousness of God versus the righteousness of man or the righteousness of, you know Christ versus the righteousness of religion, we will always run around with the legal mindset, not understanding what the promises of God really means to us. Because it will always be based on my effort. But that also includes my failures. I’m going to say it again if my success depends on my solely depends on my efforts then it also includes my failures. But if my if my success and his faithfulness to me depends on his righteousness that’s granted to me. That means that my past is wiped away, and so that doesn’t determine my identity. Alright now, that doesn’t only apply to character and to mindset, but it applies to life as well. Let’s go with me to Hebrews chapter five and then we’ll jump to 2nd Corinthians. Let’s go to Hebrews 5 verse 3 And because of this human weakness. He is required to offer sacrifices for sins. For himself as well As for the people now the context, if you read through Hebrews chapter four was talking about the high priest. In the days of the Tabernacle, which is in the days of Moses. Which, when he brought a sacrifice forward, it was for the atonement of the people, for the sins of the people, so continually they had to make atonement for the sins of the people. That’s the context. If you read through chapter 4. Now let’s carry on with with verse 4. And besides. One does not appropriate for himself. The honor of being a high priest, but he who is called by God just as Aaron was, so too, Christ did not glorify himself so as to be made a high priest. But he was exalted and appointed by one who said to him you are you are my son. So how was Christ appointed? By one saying you are by the Almighty saying to him you are my son. Remember when he was baptized in the River Jordan by John the Baptist? There was a voice from heaven, an audible voice from heaven saying. Hear ye, him for he is my beloved son. And from that day forward, he was called the son of God. Today I have begotten you. Declared your authority and rule over the nations verse 6, just as he also says in another place you are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek verse 7 in the days of his earthly life, Jesus offered up both sacrifices and petitions and urgent supplication for that which he needed with fervent crying and tears, to the one who was always. Able to save him from death and he was hurt because of his reverent submission to it, though forgive me of his reverent submission to it. He was 8, although he was a son who had never been disobedient to the father. He learned active special obedience through what he suffered and having been made perfect. He became the source of eternal salvation to all those who obey him. Verse 10. Being designated by God as high Priest according to the Order of Melchizedek. Concerning this we have much to say, and it’s hard to explain since you have become dull and sluggish in hearing and disciplined to listen. For though by this time you ought to be teachers. Now I want you to pay attention to verse 12. So he’s talking about his faithfulness, keeps talking about his faithfulness and he keeps talking about how that he has now become the high priest. Why? Because he didn’t use the blood of bulls and goats. But he used his own blood for that atonement. So this didn’t come by the blood of bulls and goats didn’t come by that of an old order, but came by a new order which is the blood of the most perfect lamb. In other words, Jesus Christ right now let’s read verse 12 now. This is where it gets really down to the point. Verse 12, For when? For the time, you ought to be teachers, you have need that one. Teach you again that which is the first principles of the oracles of God. And all become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. In other words, you’re a baby in Christ. Now, I’m not talking to you. I’m just trying to tell you what, Paul was saying to those, you know, the Hebrews. Verse 13 for everyone that uses milk is unskillful. In the word of righteousness. So in other words, the dividing line between mature Christianity and immature Christianity is the skillfulness in the word of righteousness. Why is that true? Because the entire foundation of faith in Christ, when it comes to the Gospel of Jesus is based on the righteousness which is through faith. Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. That’s the foundation. 13 for everyone that use milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. Verse 14, but solid food is for the spiritually mature, whose senses are trained by practice to distinguishing between what is morally good and what is evil. And then chapter 6 onwards start. He starts talking about reestablishing the first principles of the word of God and running with the first principles of the Word of God. But I’m not going to go into that. I wanted to show you. What the basis and the foundation of Christianity is when it comes to faith in Christ? What does it mean? What is the number one thing that causes people to not grow in faith? A lack of the understanding of righteousness by the blood of Jesus. Nothing else. That’s it. Why is that true? Because if I believe that I’m righteous because of what I’ve done. I will always compare myself. Why does she do what she does? Why is she doing this? Why does she keep on saying the things that she’s saying? Why does she always do this? She drives me insane. Now I know her, so she knows. It’s not true, but if I base my righteousness on what the blood of Jesus says. It doesn’t matter what she’s doing because what she’s doing, whether it’s good or bad, is not going to affect me because that doesn’t. Her action doesn’t determine my identity. You understand what I’m saying? Her action doesn’t determine my identity. Whether somebody approves of me or whether somebody doesn’t approve of me doesn’t determine my identity now. It could, and for most people it does. But if it’s founded in what Jesus has done and my whole entire faith and trust is put in that I will never waver on what people think about me. That’s why people are so self-conscious. Oh, he said this from the pulpit. He said that from the pulpit. I don’t even know what I said from the pulpit half the time. I don’t think he agrees with me. I don’t think that. I don’t think she agrees with that. Don’t care if they agree if they don’t agree. They weren’t there when I started off in ministry. They never got to walk the road that I walked, and they most probably will never walk the road of ministry, so they’ll never be in ministry. So what does it care what? They think, yeah, but yeah. You know, there’s an anointed man of God and he has an opinion about what I’m saying. I don’t care what he says. If, unless it’s a godly correction coming through the scripture that’s going to bolt my face up or set me into a better trajectory of where I’m going, what does it matter what anybody is saying? He wasn’t there when Christ gave birth to me spiritually. He wasn’t there when I started walking the road of blood, sweat and tears and starting off in ministry, helping people and through faithfulness. God has blessed me because I trusted in his faithfulness. Why am I now going to give my ear, lend out my ear to everybody else? I’ve seen so many people then you know, and as much as we believe in the gifts and the offices of, you know, that’s assigned to the body of Christ. I’ve seen so many people that smack on their own titles. Prophet this prophet that, I believe in prophets, but not everybody that’s got the title of prophet. Most of them are idiots. Not every guy calling himself an apostle or an evangelist is an apostle or an evangelist. And then they want to run my life trying to tell me where I’m supposed to go. Are you kidding me? I’m not saying there isn’t something like godly correction. Of course there’s something like godly correction. You understand, but if it’s not through the word of God and you’re going be corrected into the wrong direction, not into the right direction. You understand? You’re not going to be saying oh, but this guy, this person is part of this great ministry. I don’t care what they’re a part of.