Who do we see in the mirror?

Union Gospel

9/2/2022

Topic: Who do we see in the mirror?

Text: Romans 8:35 – 39

³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”^[a]

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Introduction

A particular man had a workout room in his house. The workout room had mirrors all the way around the room and the ceiling. Thus, when you walk into the room, you will see multiple reflection of yourself all around you. He also had a house dog. The house dog had never been in this room. One day this man left on a business trip. He forgot to lock the workout room; hence, the dog made his way into it and door close behind him and he could not get out. Dog saw his multiple reflections on the mirror, and he started to bark and got angry as if the reflections were attacking him. The door was closed, and the dog saw no way out. Thus, all he can do is aggressively attack the images. On the following day, the owner came back home and found the dog died in the workout room.

2 Corinthians 3:¹⁸ And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate^[a] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Every time we look in the mirror, who’s image should we sees. It’s Him who’s greater than us! Nothing separates us from Him, our text today states:

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Body

That’s Powerful! Do you hear me? nothing! Will separate us. When God’s said nothing will separate us, He means nothing:

No matter the difficulty

No matter the danger

No matter the condition

No matter where we at

No matter who we are

No matter how poor we are

No matter how much money we don’t have

No matter how sinful we are! Get some amen!

 

Is our situation control you or your control your situation?

Is our environment control our action or are controlling our environment?

If we continue to see ourselves (and Not God) in the mirror of our soul:

We will continue to let our environment control us.

We will continue to let our situation control us.

We become a manifestation of our own images.

 

In fact, we are who we see

We are who we worship

We are who we celebrate

We are who we imagine

We are who we talk about

 

If God is not shaping our lives, somebody else is shaping it

 

Michael Jackson wrote: “Man in the Mirror”

 

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could've been any clearer
If we wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at ourselves and then make a change

 

However, I would add to Michael Jackson lyrics:  

“I we wanna make the world better place

See God in the mirror and follow His will”

 

When we look in the mirror, who do we see? [reply]

 

We have to stop defining our destinies by who we are NOT!

We have to stop defining our situation by who we are NOT!

We have to stop defining ourselves by who we are NOT!

I am poor

I am weak

I don’t have a job

I am slow

I can’t speak

Therefore, what can I do? I am just gonna lay here for 38 year waiting on someone to come and move me to the pool of life

God cannot bless who we are NOT!

God cannot bless who we pretend to be!

 

God can only bless who define themselves as God’s children

 

Look at Exodus 6:

 

¹⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹¹ “Go and tell the king of Egypt that he must let the Israelites leave his land.”

¹² But Moses replied, “Even the Israelites will not listen to me, so why should the king? I am such a poor speaker.”

²⁸ When the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, ²⁹ he said, “I am the Lord. Tell the king of Egypt everything I tell you.”

³⁰ But Moses answered, “You know that I am such a poor speaker; why should the king listen to me?”

Exodus 7:1 The Lord said, “I am going to make you like God to the king, and your brother Aaron will speak to him as your prophet. ² Tell Aaron everything I command you, and he will tell the king to let the Israelites leave his country.

 

Moses was wondering: Who am I?

Moses had decided to define himself by whom he is NOT.

Moses failed to see God in the mirror of his soul.

Moses only sees how poor of a speaker he was

Moses only sees how incapable he was as a leader 

 

See when we define ourselves in light of God, He’ll send us an Aaron

          He will bless us

When we see God in the mirror as our reflection, He will make us like God

          He will bless us

When we see God in the mirror as our reflection, He’ll send us a prophet

          He will bless us

 

 

Conclusion:

 

It is remarkable, the reassurance and God’s promise that our text gives us today

 

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Max visited to the 911 site:

Later that night I spoke with an officer who guarded the entrance to the Family Care Center. He was posted next to the plywood wall of photos—the wailing wall, of sorts—on which relatives had tacked pictures and hopes. I asked him to describe the expressions on the faces of the people who had come to look at the pictures.

“Blank,” he said. “Blank.”

“They don’t cry?”

“They don’t cry.”

“And you, have you cried?”

“Not yet. I just push it in.”

Disbelief, for many, was the drug of choice.

We can relate. Calamities can leave us off balance and confused. How would you describe your crisis? “The economy . . . the economy . . . the economy . . . the economy.” “The divorce . . . divorce . . . divorce . . . divorce.”

Do you recite your woes more naturally than you do heaven’s strength? Are you assuming God isn’t in this crisis?

He is. 

God doesn’t manufacture pain, but he certainly puts it to use. His ways are higher than ours (Isa. 55:9). His judgments are unsearchable, and his paths are beyond tracing out (Rom. 11:33). We can’t always see what God is doing, but can’t we assume he is up to something good?

You can’t control the weather. You aren’t in charge of the economy. You can’t undo the tsunami or unwreck the car, but you can map out a strategy. 

You’d prefer a miracle? You’d rather see the bread multiplied or the stormy sea turned glassy calm in a finger snap? God may do this. Then, again, he may tell you, “I’m with you. I can use this for good. Now let’s make a plan.”

Remember, God is in this crisis. Ask him to give you an index card–sized plan, two or three steps you can take today. Seek counsel from someone who has faced a similar challenge. Ask friends to pray. Look for resources. Reach out to a support group. Most importantly, make a plan.

Don’t let the crisis paralyze you. Don’t let the sadness overwhelm you. Don’t let the fear intimidate you. To do nothing is the wrong thing. To do something is the right thing. And to believe is the highest thing. Trust him to help you. Trust God to do what you can’t.

If you have already accepted God’s offer into his family through placing your faith in Jesus Christ, then you can have confidence in God’s plan for your life in this crisis. The Bible promises that nothing “in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).

If you have not yet accepted God’s offer, you can do so right now. Not because you’ve earned it. But because he loves you and because the gift of salvation is available to all who profess him as Lord.

Believe that God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in your place for your sins. Believe that Jesus rose from the dead after three days, showing that God accepted him as your substitute. Believe Jesus’ claim when he said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Confess that you have sinned and ask God’s forgiveness. Invite him into your life and ask for God’s help to turn from your sin.

If you wholeheartedly believe these things and want to become a part of God’s forever family, you can pray something like this, Prayer:

"Dear God, I admit that I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior, who gave his life for my sins.  I entrust my life to you, Father God. Please come into my life and help me live a live that pleases you. Amen."