John 18:4-11 NLT
“Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you looking for?” he asked. “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied. “I Am he,” Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) As Jesus said “I Am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground! Once more he asked them, “Who are you looking for?” And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.” “I told you that I Am he,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.” He did this to fulfill his own statement: “I did not lose a single one of those you have given me.” Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?””
There is something incredible about the concept that the Father simply revealing His identity through the Son causes the most demonically influenced leaders and elite soldiers to fall backwards. POWERFUL! This is our God! His name alone carries a weighty glory that no man can stand under apart from His grace.
When Jesus said “I am”, He was not just answering a question. He was revealing that He is the same God that met Moses in the burning bush, met Elijah the prophet on Mount Horeb, and the same God that spoke the universe into existence.
Jesus stating His identity released power into the world around Him. Walking in identity is walking in the power of God. A person who is confident in their identity, is a person who can walk powerfully through any adversity.
I love that these misguided assailants fell down when Jesus spoke His identity, and then got back up and continued to arrest Him. You make bad choices when you're under the influence of demons… Still, Jesus, fully secure in who He was and His purpose on earth made no attempt to change the outcome. A person confident in their Identity does not try to control or manipulate outcomes they are not in control of. Jesus being led by the Father and empowered by the spirit, yielded what He deserved and embraced the pain of what was next in His call to be glorified with the father. A person confident in their identity can see past their immediate pain, and understand that God is going to use it for future glory in Him. Jesus, confident and in control of His spirit, refuses to pick sides when Peter slashes the ear of Malchus. Instead He diffuses the situation and selflessly cleans up the mess He didn’t make. Another quality of a person secure in their identity. Jesus is not any one person's side, His focus is accomplishing the will of His father. Living from your Identity enables you to live above the fray around you.
Even when it seems to be Jesus' most dire moments, He can only be who God has called him to be. This simple revelation demonstrates that walking in our God given identity releases power on the earth. The most powerful thing you can do is know your identity in Jesus and walk faithfully in it no matter what is happening in the world around you. May we all embrace the process of becoming more secure in our identities in Jesus.
Love,
Pastor John
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