The Emperor's New Clothes

Sermon Notes

Sermon Title: The Emperor's New Clothes

BIG IDEA #1: Don’t Underestimate Your Influence

Proverbs 18:17 "In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines."

  1. Where you are going is where you are leading.
  2. What you believe is what you are teaching.

No Clothes Position #1: Truth is what we believe. Royal Robes Position #1: Truth isn't a proposition, it's a Person.

John 14:6 "I am the way, truth and life."

John 16:13 "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come."

No Clothes Position #2: Identity & Value are based on externals. How we perform. How we look. What we achieve. Who approves of us. Royal Robes Position #2: Our identity and value is found in Jesus.

1 Peter 1:18-19 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

1 Peter 2:9,10  "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

No Clothes Position #3: Happiness comes from living for yourself. Royal Robes Position #3: Fulfillment comes from living for God’s purposes.

Ephesians 2:1-10 "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Fulfillment happens as we BECOME more and more like our Creator and we DO what He has called and designed us to do.

Galatians 3:26-29 "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."

Ephesians 4:11-14  "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming."

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God's Grace

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The Final Answers to the Now What Question