How Do You Identify Yourself? | Matthew 26:23

[00:00:00] Real Truth Daily. This is Daily Truths with Dave Ahlman.

[00:00:07] Hi everybody, welcome back to Daily Truths. We hear these words a lot these days. How do you identify yourself? Or what do you identify yourself as?

[00:00:15] Yeah, that's really a weird question. People identify themselves as steak, as animals, as some sort of inanimate object, etc, etc.

[00:00:23] So how do you identify yourself? That's a great question. How did Jesus identify Judas?

[00:00:31] Remember, we're in the book of Matthew chapter 26 and Jesus is celebrating the Passover with his disciples.

[00:00:38] They're reclining at table and all of a sudden he asks one of you or says one of you will betray me.

[00:00:45] And the disciples trying to clear their names say, is it I, Lord? Is it I, Lord? Is it I, Lord?

[00:00:49] They all say that except for Judas. And then we pick up this in verse 23.

[00:00:54] He answered, he who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me.

[00:00:59] Now they ate bread, as you guys know, they ate unleavened bread and there was like a fruit sauce that they would dip bread into.

[00:01:07] I wonder if Judas was a double dipper. They would dip their bread.

[00:01:11] And so at the same time, when Jesus was dipping his bread into the sauce, the fruit sauce, so Judas was doing that as well.

[00:01:19] This is how Jesus identified Judas as a betrayer.

[00:01:23] Now that's in fulfillment of Psalm 41 verse 9 that says, he who is my close friend, he who I trusted, he who dipped his bread with me is one who will lift up his heel against me.

[00:01:37] That's exactly what Judas did. And of course, we're going to learn a little bit more about this story in the days ahead.

[00:01:44] So Jesus identified Judas as the betrayer.

[00:01:49] How does Jesus identify you? As a sinner? As one who's broken the commands of God?

[00:01:56] As one who's disappointed God, let God down, fail God? No, listen to me.

[00:02:01] He identifies you as a saint, as a child of God.

[00:02:05] If you've repented of your sin and believe in Jesus, you've been robed in the righteousness of Christ and declared innocent in the sight of God.

[00:02:14] He declares you to be the one who loves, the one who serves, the one who gives, the one who sacrifices, the one who obeys.

[00:02:23] And you might be saying, now, wait a minute.

[00:02:25] I don't fully serve. I don't fully obey.

[00:02:27] I don't fully give sacrificially. There's many things about my life that are contaminated by sin.

[00:02:33] You're right. But here's what God does.

[00:02:36] He takes the etch-a-sketch, if you will, of Christ's sacrifice on the cross,

[00:02:41] and he turns your life upside down and erases your sin for the sake of Jesus.

[00:02:47] The reason that's on my mind, I just saw my granddaughter, Emery,

[00:02:50] and she has this little mini etch-a-sketch, and she had a bunch of stuff scribbled,

[00:02:53] and then we turned it over, and it's gone.

[00:02:57] That's what God did with your sin at the cross.

[00:03:01] The etch-a-sketch of God's love has erased your wrongs.

[00:03:05] So your service, your obedience, your love, your dedication, your commitment to Christ,

[00:03:11] even though it's contaminated by sin, it's gone.

[00:03:14] The sin is gone because you're a child of God robed in the righteousness of Jesus.

[00:03:19] Now, I was looking at a catechism the other day, and I opened up the catechism,

[00:03:24] and it said this, this book belongs to, and then the person's name was underneath it.

[00:03:30] Listen to this.

[00:03:31] Who do you belong to?

[00:03:33] What could God say about you?

[00:03:35] This person belongs to me.

[00:03:39] That's what God could say about you.

[00:03:40] You're his precious child.

[00:03:43] So the way I want you to identify yourself today is not someone who's failed God,

[00:03:48] disappointed God, let God down, broken God's commandments, but rather a child of God.

[00:03:53] Jesus identified Judas as a betrayer.

[00:03:55] God identifies you as his beloved child.

[00:03:59] For God so loved you so much that he gave his only begotten son,

[00:04:03] that whoever, namely you, whoever believes in Christ shall not perish,

[00:04:07] but have everlasting life.

[00:04:09] You're a child of God, saved by grace, forgiven in the eyes of God,

[00:04:14] redeemed by the blood of Christ, headed to heaven.

[00:04:17] You are robed in the righteousness of Jesus.

[00:04:20] And I've said that three times, I know, but that's one of my favorite concepts.

[00:04:24] Who I am, who you are through faith in what Christ has done.

[00:04:29] Bask in that identity today.

[00:04:31] And that is today's Daily Truth.

[00:04:33] Have a great day in the Lord Jesus Christ.

[00:04:35] Thank you for tuning in to Daily Truths with Dave Allman.

[00:04:39] Pastor Dave Allman is the pastor of Mount Hope Church in Boulder, Colorado.

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[00:04:54] Come back tomorrow for your next Daily Truth.