Wednesdays in the Word || Pastor Smokie Norful

About this sermon

What if the greatest crisis we face is not a financial crisis, a relational crisis, or even a spiritual crisis, but an identity crisis? In this deeply grounding message drawn from Ephesians 1:3-14, we are walked through one of the most theologically rich passages in all of Scripture, where the apostle Paul lays out something stunning: before he ever tells believers how to live, he spends three full chapters telling them who they are. The pattern is deliberate and profound. Identity precedes activity. Belief shapes behavior. Position comes before practice. Paul's repeated phrase 'in Christ' appears roughly eleven times in just twelve verses, and that repetition is not accidental. It is the sermon within the sermon. Every blessing named in the passage, being chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, and sealed, only exists inside of that phrase. None of it is available outside of Christ. We are challenged to ask not merely 'Who am I?' but the far more powerful question: 'Who am I because I am in him?' The answer reshapes everything, from how we pray, to how we worship, to how we respond when the world tries to hand us an identity built on performance, possession, or pain. 0:00 Why Identity Must Come Before Everything Else 12:00 The Blessings That Define Who We Are in Christ 34:20 Your Identity Is Received, Not Achieved 52:55 Living from Your Identity, Not for It Subscribe here http://www.youtube.com/OfficialSmokieNorful http://www.SmokieNorful.com

Topics

• Leadership
• Bible Study