Approved By God
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.’” —Matthew 3.13-17
“Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month…Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.” —Luke 1.36, 58
“Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.” —Matthew 11.11a
“Becoming focused on what other people think about you is the quickest way to forget what God says about you.” —Craig Groeschel, Altar Ego
“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” —Proverbs 29:25
1. Live not for the approval of the crowd but for an
.
“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of GOD. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” —Galatians 1:10, New Living Translation
2. Live
the approval of God instead of
the approval of people.
“On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but GOD, who tests our hearts.” —1st Thessalonians 2:4, New Living Translation
6 Things God Says About You
1. You are a
creation in Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” —2nd Corinthians 5.17
2. You are
than a conqueror through Christ. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” —Romans 8.37
3. You are God’s
. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” —Ephesians 2.10
4. You are the
of this world. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” —Jesus, Matthew 5.14
5. You are filled with the
spirit that raised Christ. “And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in YOU.” —Romans 8.11
6. You are Christ’s
. “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” —2nd Corinthians 5.20
As a follower of Jesus, your identity is not rooted in what you do; your