The Everyday Faith Steps:

• Born-again / Saved
• Water Baptized
• Holy Spirit Activated
• Healed + Set Free
• In Community
• Contributing
• Personal Growth
• Reproducing

Faith Scripture:

James 2:17: “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

John 6:1-15

1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little." 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?" 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, "Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost." 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, "This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!"15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Have you ever felt forced to be someone you are not?

We titled this series Branded, because when something is branded, you know who it belongs to.

This morning, look deep in your heart and see if you are the "Real Thing" or just an Imitation or knock-off of the brand. (Illustration: Imitation Bacon Bits, Kraft Singles)

Being found in Him (Phil 3:9) moves you from Imitation to Identity. You are made of the real substance.

As movies have evolved, we love to see our favorite actors or actresses on the big screen. Often, we fall in love with the Persona they project and mistake it for the person they really are.

We forget that the Persona is a Performance, not the Person.

In life, there are 3 words: Pressure, Performance, and Persona that cause a vicious downward spiral. If left unchecked, they create a tornado that spins out of control, leaving us living an imitation-filled life rather than being fulfilled by having Identity in Christ.

We are not sure whether the tornado started with the pressures of life, the need to perform a certain way to gain influence, or living up to a persona to be accepted. All we know is we are caught in a tornado that is spinning faster and faster, and we feel like we have lost complete control of life.

We must discover the Person of who we are!If not, we will be crushed under the pressure trying to attain the perfect performance. We will be held captive in a prison of misery trying to live up to a persona.

King Solomon said it best in Ecclesiastes 2:11.

11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving (chasing) after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

The reason we are disappointed with people is that we have confused Persona and Person.

Persona - the aspect of someone's character that is presented to or perceived by others; a role or character adopted by an author or an actor.

We laugh a little about this because when it is an actor or actress, we cognitively/intellectually know the person on the screen is the Persona & not the real Person. In today’s society, because of social media, all of life is a stage where everyone is an actor or actress.

We put out the Persona, the part of us we want to present, so everyone sees our highlights, not our Home Life. We only present to the world what we want them to perceive about us.

Wouldn’t it be great to overcome the demands of someone else's expectations! Jesus was a master at this.

The people fell in love with the Persona and the Performance of Jesus, but in the same chapter they rejected the Person of Jesus.

John 6:14-15

14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Verses 14 and 15: The people loved the Persona of Prophet and King, and in verse 66 they all walk away because the Persona didn’t match the Person. (John 6:66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.)

The people loved the Persona of Prophet and King, and Jesus was those, but He wasn't the Persona the people projected onto Him, so they left disappointed in Him.

What Persona are people projecting on you that makes life a performance where you have to live up to the pressure?

When you are the Person and not the Persona, you won’t cave to Pressure and Performance.

John 6:30: "So they said to him, 'Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?”

The people loved Jesus because of his performance. He fed them, and they all ate until they were full. But He destroyed their Persona as He revealed the Person: “I am the Bread of Life.”

The miracle is not about what Jesus did with “the Bread"; it was about revealing Jesus “as the Bread.”

When he revealed the Person and destroyed the Persona, "they grumbled." (vs 41)

Anytime you have unbelief in your heart, it will cause you to ask Jesus to perform or to prove something you do not really believe. Some of us are not praying to Jesus; we are asking for a performance of Jesus, hoping he'll multiply bread for you.

It is so important to know the Person of who you are because the culture of performance will deceive you into living in a Persona. When you love the Person, you will serve them instead of asking them to perform for you.

Before you can discover the Person you are, you have to get past the Persona you have projected on Jesus.

Here is your first action, pursue your first love.

Who I Am In Christ

I am the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13).

I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

I am a child of God (John 1:12).

I am Christ's friend (John 15:15).

I am chosen by Christ (John 15:16).

I am God's gift to Christ (John 17:24).

I am made right in God's sight by faith (Romans 5:1).

I am at peace with God (Romans 5:1).

I am in the place of highest privilege (Romans 5:2).

I am confidently and joyfully looking forward to becoming all God has in mind for me (Romans 5:2).

I am rejoicing in troubles, for through them God is building me up and making me strong (Romans 5:3-5).

I am reconciled to God (Romans 5:10)

I receive God's grace, which far supersedes my worst sin (Romans 5:20).

I am dead to sin and alive to God (Romans 6:11)

I receive eternal life through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23).

I am free of condemnation (Romans 8:1).

I am free from the vicious cycle of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

I am a son of God; God is spiritually my Father (Romans 8:14-15; Galatians 3:26; 4:6).

I share in Christ's inheritance (Romans 8:17).

I am protected. Who can ever be against me? (Romans 8:31).

I am inseparable from God's love (Romans 8:35).

I am more than a conqueror through Christ (Romans 8:37).

I am God's dwelling place. His Spirit and life dwells in me (I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19).

I am united to the Lord (I Corinthians 6:17).

I am a member of Christ's body – the church (I Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 5:30).

I am adequate for anything because my adequacy comes from God (II Corinthians 3:5).

I am a new creation (II Corinthians 5:17).

I am reconciled to God and a minister of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:18-19).

I am a saint (Ephesians 1:1).

I am blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3).

I am forgiven of all my sins (Ephesians 1:7).

I am God's workmanship – His handiwork (Ephesians 2:10).

I am a fellow citizen with the rest of God's family (Ephesians 2:19).

I am righteous and holy (Ephesians 4:24).

I am a citizen of heaven (Ephesians 2:6).

I am strong in the Lord to fight off all of Satan's attacks (Ephesians 6:10-17)

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

I am filled with God's power that works mightily in me (Colossians 1:29).

I am complete in Christ, filled with God, possessor of everything (Colossians 2:10).

I am chosen by God, holy and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12; I Thessalonians 1:4).

I am a son/daughter of light and not of darkness (I Thessalonians 5:5).

I am adequate, complete, equipped for every good work (II Timothy 3:17)

I can come boldly before the throne of grace to find mercy and grace (Hebrews 4:16).

I am a child of God, and I will resemble Christ when He returns (1 John 3:1-2).

I am loved (Revelation 1:5).