Bill Johnson - Every Temptation Comes From These Two Questions
Has God said, «If you’re the Son of God»? Those are the two things I think every temptation issue that we face in life falls into—one of those two categories: either questioning what God said or questioning who He says you are. I’m not one to try to feed off what the devil is doing to figure out what we’re supposed to be doing; I don’t like that at all. But it doesn’t take a genius to realize that the enemy is working hard to really foul up people’s identity. I don’t say this out of humor, mockery, or with any malice; it’s just the truth. We have a lot of folks, and maybe even people in this room who are joined with us today, who aren’t sure of their gender.
What once was common sense isn’t anymore. Why? Because we have a culture that started listening to the wrong questions: «Has God said, 'If you’re the Son of God'?» It’s amazing how aspects of culture that seem so absolute and immovable can be shifted if he can just get people to ask the wrong questions. See, the enemy’s questions don’t lead to Jesus; the Lord’s questions always lead to encounter, always lead to a place of faith, always lead to a place of encounter. The last thing declared over Jesus before this wilderness encounter was the Father speaking, «My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.» Twice in this series of temptations, the enemy says, «If you’re the Son of God.»
I don’t know why it surprises us when we have this fresh insight into what God’s going to do in our life that that’s the first thing to get attacked. It shouldn’t surprise us. Well, I thought for sure the Lord said the business would work, and I don’t know why we’re having these problems. That’s actually why. It’s the fully embracing of what God has said. Here’s the deal: there’s a design to our life because of a designer. The designer creates design; design implies purpose; purpose implies destiny; and destiny requires accountability. If you mess up any of that sequence, you end up with people living for themselves instead of what God actually intended for planet Earth. The thing that’s being so harassed in culture by seemingly well-meaning people is questioning the most simple things in the world.
I point to it not for mockery but to arm us for prayer. The more secure you become in who you are, the more you and I leak that sense of identity and purpose into a culture. Become sure of the right things. Become firm in the right things. Number one: you’re made in the image of God. Every human being is made in the image of God. Why? For the purpose of relationship. That’s the design. There was no other part of creation that God could fellowship with in the same way that He fellowshipped with Adam and Eve, and now with those who are born again. Nothing else even comes close. He celebrates every aspect and part of creation, but only people made in His image, now born again, are created for seamless connection and relationship. You’re made in the image of God, and at your worst point, lost in sin, you were worth dying for.
That’s who you are! Yeah, you were worth dying for, and your neighbor who doesn’t yet know Jesus is worth dying for. She was worth dying for; that person you work with, they were worth dying for. Jesus calculated the price and looked at the prize—that’s worth dying for. When we embrace that, we don’t just embrace fire insurance to avoid spending eternity in hell; we actually become grafted into a family destined to be filled with the fullness of God, doing greater works than Jesus Himself did. There’s to be a full manifestation of the triumph of Jesus on the earth every single day of our lives. It’s the assignment; it’s the design: «Has God said, 'If you’re the Son of God'?»
Those are the two things I think every temptation issue that we face in life falls into, either questioning what God said or questioning who He says you are. You were designed to be a part of a chosen race—not chosen because we’re better; in fact, God tends to choose things that are less. Yeah, it’s usually because of your weakness that He shows His strength. Well, how do I brag about that? Yeah, that’s the point. It shows us as people— a chosen race. Every one, regardless of your natural race, we are a chosen race according to Scripture—together, sons and daughters of the King, a new creation. That means a creation that has never existed before, for the purpose of illustrating who Jesus is until the earth is filled with the glory of God. The target of the Lord is for the earth to be filled with His glory. It is through an obedient, surrendered people that live for His purposes, that live under the glory of His name.
This is the privilege of life, and there are just two things we anchor our soul to: one is, «What did God say?» and two, «Who am I? What has He declared about me?» In the case of Jesus, «This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.» I remember watching my boys play baseball. I’d be in the stands, and one of them would make a great play, and I’d stand up in the middle of that crowd and say, «Whose son is that?» That’s His delight over you. If you forget it, you’ll get weird. If you forget it, you’ll make stupid decisions. Evil things only become appealing to people who forgot who they are. Here’s the thing I want to pray the most: I want everyone in this room to know who God says we are. That’s all—"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.» Or, in my version, «Whose son is that? Whose daughter is that?» There’s something so engaging about seeing His delight over us. Here’s the deep realization: you were not chosen as a part of our group; you were chosen by name, and He delights in you. So, Father, I pray in the weeks to come this would become clearer and clearer for the honor of the name Jesus.