Leon Fontaine - God's DNA
Today, I wanna dive into this and I wanna help you with this one thought. Who are you? And what do you identify with? What is your identity? You know, when I go through borders and I'm speaking in different conferences, my passport is very important, without my passport I can't get across borders. And without my passport I can't even get back into the country because they want to know who I am based on borders here on the planet and who my passport is with. There are ton of things that you are not experiencing as a Christian. There are ton of things you're not able to get working in your life because you have not had an epiphany, an awakening as to who you are according to God. In 1 Corinthians 3:21, here the apostle Paul says therefore let no one boast in men.
All right stop right there, leave on the screen if you would. Let no one boast in men. Or in other words, we're gonna see if we unpack this, stop boasting about, you know, the French, the Asian, the First Nation. Stop boasting about all of this little tribal breakdown in the human race. Stop it. And it goes on to say, therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours. So whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas because there was a big argument in the church then about which group you were with, Paul, Apollos, Cephas. And so it says, or the world or life or death, or things present or to come, because all things are yours the King James says. All are yours. It's not a matter of, "Well, we're better because of the colour of our skin. We're better because of our sexuality. We're better because of this. We are the original. We are the greater. We are the faster. We are the smarter. We've done test and we know that this is, and we begin to divide ourselves up".
And the apostle Paul is saying stop boasting in men or stop boasting in the human area of your life, stop finding your identity. And every one of us has an identity and we begin to boast about that identity so we feel better about ourselves. So this tribalism is what we begin to focus on, we begin to build it up, and we begin to fight for it. I had a guy the other day, a little while ago, he said, "Hey! I'm so and so and I'm gay. You okay with that? I said, "You know, dude, like I don't actually meet guys and ask myself how they have sex. It's just not really one of my thinking. I just wanna meet you and if you're a cool guy, we'll do business. And if I like you, I have coffee and we can even be friends. But I just don't walk up to people and start thinking through all their sexual preferences". And, but that shows you how the world quickly moves to their identity and they identify with any of these areas.
Now, in Colossians 1:26-29, it says, "The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, and now has been revealed to His saints". It's not revealed to those who are not saints. I like watching some of these brilliant minds debate and they get an atheist debating a Christian. They always, you know, they often don't find the smartest Christians in these debates. I think they do it on purpose. I was listening to a debate the other day and this guy, you know, very good brain started to laugh thinking, you know, isn't it amazing that one of the animals on this planet, human beings really think that they're special to God over and above all the other animals. And, you know, it's just such an absorb thinking that you kind of go, "Well, then save the rabbit on the road instead of your own daughter. You know, save the bird that you got in your dad. That it hit you the front of...", it's so crazy.
The Bible's very clear that when God made the world, that He decorated it with all sorts of living and beautiful things and that we should respect it. We should be protecting our planet, looking after our planet, dealing with people that are destroying it with chemicals, and making sure this world is here for future generations. But now, if you really want to get technical, the Bible says that when He place mankind on the planet, it was made in His likeness and in His image. In the Hebrew an exact duplication and kind. I love animals. I love dogs, cats. I love zoos. I love going to places and I'm in awe of God's incredible creation. But mankind is made in the likeness and the image of God. And it doesn't mean just your physical looks.
You see, my DNA is in my kids. It's in my grandkids and it's gonna be in their lineage for generations and generations. And sometimes we forget that God's DNA is not a physical thing. God's DNA is a spiritual thing. So when the presence of God came into you and you gave your life to Jesus Christ, you became born again as something that it never existed before. And you're not like God because of a unique physical factor. You're not like God because you're from the original colour of skin in the middle of Africa. That you're not like God because you are His chosen generation as you go through the Israelites. You're like God because of your spirit. It's alive with Holy Spirit and the presence of God that is in you. And so when the Bible begins to look at the human race, it does not break us down. And especially in this New Testament it brings out even clearer that we are all the family of God.
Now, he says there is family that is found and there's family that is lost. And that's it! Jesus simply said I've got sheep in the fold and I'm gonna go get the one that's lost. They were all His sheep. That doesn't mean they're gonna make heaven. That's one of the biggest issues of sharing the gospel, is that free will so powerful that you make the decision as to whether or not you're gonna worship and ask Him to come in and forgive you and you become a new creation. You're made in the likeness and the image of God to such a degree that you have the same power as God in the area of decision making. God will protect your right to say no to Him right to the gates of hell. And then He will not force your will to serve Him, to become His friend. And that's a whole another teaching, we'll cover sometime. That really begins to go into generations and why we see this heartache and hurt in family lines, in countries, in areas, because a lot of it comes down, a lot of it comes down to these areas. So God is in me and all of a sudden, I'm in a God class.
Now, here's what a lot of Christians struggle. They say, "Oh, we cannot think ourselves as God". I agree, don't be your own God. Hello! But who are we if we're not in the God class? How can we be in His family like it kind of, sorry for all you dog lovers. But it kind of bugs me when I meet dog lovers who, "These are their kids, and these are our kids". And I understand you love your dogs. We got dogs, too. We love dogs. I have dogs all my life. They're cool. They're cute. Love them. But they don't even compare to my kids. If a car is gonna hit my dog or my kid. I don't even think about which one to save. Okay? It's not even a thought that enters my head. Okay, so if my kids are my kids, then they're in the same class as me. Okay? They're human beings with bodies and minds and spirits.
And so we've been made in the likeness and image of God has been a highly controversial topic amongst people because a lot of the Christian church who thinks they gotta stay humble talks like this, "Oh, we're not equal with God. We're just sinners. We're nobody. I'm just a sinner". And some Christians like saying that all the time because it kind of gives them a chance to go sin and go, "I'm just a sinner". But that's actually not true. When you give your life to Christ, the Bible says to the saints in Galatia, to the saints in Rome, to the saints in Corinth, to the saints in so and so's house. And they're not called saints because they're perfect. They're called saints as their identity. They are new creations.
So when Jesus Christ came in you, your spirit man came alive with the presence of God and its sealed. Just like a canning jar, its sealed. If anything else gets you with that canning jar, those pickles are gonna go bad. Your spirit is sealed and in it is the presence of God. And so when you do things that are wrong, you do them with your body, you may do them with your mind. But if you've given your life to Jesus Christ, then your spirit is sealed. And so you don't have to worry about the enemy coming in and removing you and taking you away. Now, there's still a penalty for sinning with your body and sinning with your mind. It's just not God doing it to you. It's just those are the boundaries that had been laid out. Don't get in to incredible anger.
I've watched people who've never control their anger and it begin to get in to mental problems and issues. I've watched people with intense jealousy. And month after month, year after year, and it begins to change the way their emotional makeup, the way they think. Any negative emotion that is not dealt with the presence of God, by the Word of God will cause you to begin to become warped in your thinking. It will become warped in your feelings, your emotions, and you'll feel your truth. You've got truth. That's why this is my truth. Well, your truth. No. There is a truth. So what's your identity? What's your identity? "Well, Leon, I'm a white male". Hey, I'm a pastor. I'm a father. My name is Fontaine. Okay, which tribe do you identify with? Which group are you going through? I'm a doctor. I'm a lawyer. I'm gay. I'm straight. I'm wealthy. I've got an IQ above a hundred and whatever and so I'm in that group, the Mensa group.
And everybody is trying to think through what group they're in. God said you're in my family. And then Jesus said I'll build my church. So having church like this is crucial. And being faithful to a church, being planted in the church. You know, rolling up your sleeves and volunteering in that church. Giving to that church. Those are crucial. But the whole purpose for that church is to reach out to everybody else and include them and say, "Come on in and hear about Jesus. We love you. We care about you. We wanna include you". So it's not an inclusive group that keeps out. It's the church that wants to bring everybody in. It's carrying on this work of Jesus who says I leave the ninety and nine that are in the fold and I go after the one.
So a church is beautiful. But even there we shouldn't have this tribalism like we're right, you're wrong. We're better. You're worse. We've got the best. You're not quite there. We don't wanna use that kind of thinking because that kind of thinking begins to cause us to build boundaries and barriers. Instead, wherever I go, I'll preached in different denominations around the world. And when I find people who are open, and they get their identity from who they are in Christ. Not the name over their door, the name on their passport, not the colour of their skin, not even their certain doctrinal beliefs. That is us and that is you. I love running into people who know right away I'm forgiven. The blood of Jesus that He shed for me 2.000 years ago was so incredible, so powerful. That I'm a brand new creation.
Now, you think, "Well, Leon, I know that. I know that. I know that". Well, let me ask you a question. To know something is to immediately experience the results of that knowing. Okay? If just to say you know it and to not to experience the benefits of that knowing means you don't know it. You think you do. There has not been a revelation. The word revelation is literally means the lifting of the veil. You know, veils are used all through the Old Testament and women would shield their face, so you couldn't see it. They use the veil into the temple, in the holy of holies. You couldn't see into the temple where the Shekinah glory of God was. In tents, they would have tents for many times as they traveled, and they would use curtains or veils to separate the sleeping quarters and things in the tent. And until you move the veil back, you couldn't see into that room.
And the Bible's very clear and there's a mystery in Colossians 1:26, "The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, now revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known the riches of this mystery". When you know this mystery, when you get this identity, it changes the wealth of your life. Everything! And when I say riches, I just don't mean money. That's the easiest thing to get. Try to get the sense of joy and purpose and accomplishment and peace and laughter and family and all that. That's so powerful as well. It says, "To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you".
Okay, stop right there. As I was reading I'm thinking, when I look at my kids, you know, I don't think this way, but this is making me think this way. That when I look at my kids, those are my kids and that's my DNA in there. Okay, they're mine. Okay? Now, here its saying that there's a mystery and what's in you is God's DNA but he calls it Christ. The anointed One is in you because God is a spirit and we who worship, and we must worship in spirit and truth. So what makes you unique on this planet isn't any colour of your skin. It's not any kind of extra cerebral power. It literally is in the spirit realm, demons, angels, God. They all can see who's you are. It's a spirit DNA. It's Christ that is in you. You are Gods because Christ is in you, because Jesus is in you.
And if you begin to focus on any other identity, you limit yourself. You begin to bring yourself down to, "I'm a white man". You begin to bring yourself down to, "I'm Canadian". And if you begin to recognize who God is in your life then everything that has to do with God, okay. Everything that has to do with God begins to be a part. You know, DNA can be track down to how tall you are, how fast you run, how strong you physically are. Some people have got fast twitch muscles, some have slow twitch muscles. Some have incredible ability to judge and others have phenomenal ability. It will come down through family in this area, that area. I'm not saying if you can prove it always. But the abilities you have physically and mentally, okay? Come down from your forefathers.
So the ability you have spiritually comes down from your Father. And so you've been able to get your body to work a certain degree whether its job, career, education, health. You begin to get your mind work to a certain degree. You can manage a certain kind of work. You got a certain kind of gifts to use there whether it's with people, not with people. There's lots of ways the world differentiates. But so few people have understood who they are in Christ and they get their identity here. When you get your identity from Christ, your faith will work.
I meet so many Christians who think they're in faith. They haven't in faith a day in their world. Lucky for them certain prayers and they have the odd miracle and the odd they'll answer to prayer. But there is no consistency to the life that shows something at work in them. And if you wanna walk consistently as sons, Romans 8, as sons, which means sons. The second you say son, you instantly are saying father, mother. To walk as a son in the spiritual power that the enemy cannot touch you. And by the way, the spirit realm overrides all other realms. So when you start talking about spiritual truths and who you are in Christ and begin to focus on that. Pray the prayer in Ephesians 1:15, Ephesians 3:14, Colossians 1:9. And pray these prayers and these prayers are all about that you might know Him. That you might have an epiphany as to your calling.
And everyone thinks, "Yeah, what is my calling? Dentist? Doctor"? No. That's not even in the ballpark. That's so far down here. "Yeah, but I'm one of the award-winning dentist. I'm one of the award-winning scientist". That still so far down here. A million years from today, no one's gonna care. A hundred years from today, no one's gonna care. In eternity and the issue is, have you given your life to Christ? And it's whatever you use your gifts and abilities and your life for, is it attach to the kingdom of God? So that His kingdom is advancing and that everywhere you go your helping us. I was chatting with a person the other day, my time is almost up, I'm talking faster.
I was talking to a person the other day and they had a loved one that was going into eternity. And so I said, "What do you mean"? He said, "Well, they don't believe it's gonna be, any time now, a day or two". Are they conscious? "Oh, yes". Do they know Jesus? "Well, I don't know. I mean, you know, it's just, that's kind of up to them. I've never really been a person that pushed". I said, "Stop. Do you even believe the Bible? Do you believe the Bible"? And they go, "Well, of course, I believe the Bible". Then, do you believe that heaven is the home for those who are born again? And if somebody isn't spiritually alive, they can't even exist in heaven even if God wanted to bring them in. That's like all the ice cubes having a revolt because they want to get into the fire. They can't exist together. Sin cannot exist in the presence of God. Until your spirit man has made alive with the presence of God. You can't exist even if He says come on in.
So I said to them, I said like, go find out. "What if I offend them"? I said, "They got 24 hours to live. I don't think offence is the issue". Off is off. If the light switches off, it's off. They can't get more off than off. And you got hours to determine and help them make a decision for Christ, which determines where they spend eternity. I want to challenge you today that not only how you live your life. It needs to have eternal meaning. Yes, I'm so glad that you're feeding the hungry. Yes, I'm so glad that you are repairing and stitching up the broken arm. So glad that you are a part of life and community and everyone has gifts and abilities to use on this planet. I love that and I'm all into that. But today, I'm just saying if your life isn't about eternity, then you have not had a revelation that when your time is up, have you done anything that will change people's eternity? You're not Canadian. You're not First Nation. You're not African. You're not Asian. You're not Russian.
And yes, I have no problem being proud of the fact I'm Canadian, but I don't get my identity from that, because I got my family all over the world with a different identity as far as their nationality. And I don't get my identity from my white skin. I don't know why all those white guys are trying to get tan to look brown. I mean, the issue is not the colour of our skin. The issue is not our original language. So many people in North America think that, you know, God speaks English. That's the language Jesus spoke. God speak every language. And as you get your identity from Christ, everything in your world is gonna change. You'll see people differently. It doesn't mean we water down the gospel. We all just get along and we're all love. No.
There's a decision each human being must make about their eternity and their life on this planet is a time frame to make a decision to choose who will you choose. Life or death. Blessing or cursing. You have a mystery identity. I have no problem celebrating. Don't get me wrong. I have no problem celebrating your roots. I have no problem, you know, looking a certain way and this is the way we dress here and there. All of that is beautiful, wonderful. I think it's gorgeous. We got a world filled with variety. There's awesome food, skin colour, the way we dress, languages, songs, tribal dances. And, you know, all of those things can be beautiful. But your identity better not come from there or you will be limited to only the abilities that tribe has, and God is saying you have everything in identifying with me as a child of God, a son of God, a daughter of God. And there is where you will find the power to bring change.