Identity Test

The Way Home
Identity Test

I. Introduction

A. More being, less doing!

B. Orphan tendencies

1. The tendency to drift toward isolation

2. We are only as good as our last performance.

3. Difficult time trusting others

4. Orphans live in constant competition. Often viewing the strengths of others as a threat.

5. The challenge to belong

6. Fear is seen as a normal and even healthy part of life.

7. Performance is linked to love, approval and acceptance.

II. Beloved Son

A. Luke 3:21-22 (ESV) ²¹Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, ²²and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

B. Doing is a thing. Being is an thing.

C. Luke 4:1-3 (ESV) ¹And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness ²for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. ³The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

2. The testing was over Jesus’ .

3. The identity you will determine the you experience.

III. Identity Test

A. Appetite

1. Luke 4:2-3 (ESV) ²And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. ³The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

2. Appetites are never .

a. I will prioritize what I most over what I want now.

b. I will not tomorrow for something I want today, that I may not even want tomorrow.

3. Whenever there is an appetite that is out of control, there is an condition that is out of order.

B. Ambition

1. Luke 4:5-7 (ESV) ⁵And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, ⁶and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. ⁷If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”

C. Approval

1. Luke 4:9-11 (ESV) ⁹And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ ¹¹and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

2. Orphan Value Equation: My performance + your opinion = my worth.

3. Our challenge is to learn to live approval, and not approval.

IV. Conclusion