Title: Come to Christ and be Eternally Secured

Introduction:
I’m sure all of us have an influencer, youtuber, or artist that we follow. Maybe we love their style, their
personality, sense of humor. In today’s world, these social media influencers play a huge role in shaping
online culture. And everything they post, videos, pictures, of course are tailored to appear ideal and
support an image of how they want people to perceive them. They have perpetuated this idea of “the
perfect life”. That when we, “ordinary people”, look at them, we can only say, “Sana All”. And so, most
of us desire to live a life like theirs. I mean, who wouldn’t? Expensive cars, huge mansions, perfect
family. It all seems too good to be true, because it probably is. Behind the camera, we really have no
idea who these people really are. That is why, it always comes as a shock whenever we hear news about
couples breaking up, families suing each other, friends throwing each other’s dirty laundry in public.
And you would always hear people say, “They looked so happy” “They looked so good together”.
All of us present ourselves in social media, to our friends, and family, the way we want them to perceive
us. This is what we call persona which is defined as the personality that an individual projects to others,
as differentiated from the authentic self. It is derived from the Latin “persona” referring to the masks
worn by mimes during plays.
The Japanese proverb says that you have three faces:
1. The first face, you show to the world.
2. The second face, you show to your close friends and your family.
3. The third face, you never show anyone. It is the truest reflection of who you are.

Which means people only know the parts of us we choose to show them. But why do we wear masks?
Maybe to hide fear, to be liked and accepted, to deceive, to hide our vulnerability.
We wear masks because it compensates for a lot of our insecurities which everyone of us have.
All of us feel insecure in some way. Most of us go through life thinking that we are not good enough,
smart enough, talented enough. And so, we succumb to the world’s demand and strive to fit in its mold,
to be accepted, to be appreciated, to be loved, just like most influencers do today.
How about you? Who are you when you’re with family, with friends, in church, all alone? I know of so
many young people who are the complete opposite when they are in church and when they’re at school.
You would never even think, in the slightest, that they were Christians because of the way they act and
talk. Just so they can have friends, just so they’ll look cool. Just so they’ll be accepted.
But wouldn’t it be great to feel secured, loved and accepted without having to work for it? Without
having to put on so many masks? Unfortunately, no one in this world will really be able to offer that
genuine, unconditional love to us. Family? They can abandon you if you disrespect or disregard them.
They can get tired of you. Friends? They come and go. Boyfriend/girlfriend? They can leave you if they
lose feelings.

That is why if you look at what the Lord says in Jeremiah 17. He says…
 5 “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, And whose heart
turns away from the Lord. 6 For he will be like a bush in the desert, and will not see when
prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt that is not
inhabited.”
To feel secure about something is to put your trust in it. When we put our money in a bank, we trust that
they will keep it safe. When we put our trust in someone, we believe that they will meet all our
expectations. But as the Lord says in the verse, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind. For he will be
like a bush in the desert” When we live for man’s validation, applause, love, acceptance, we are hoping
for nothing. Because we all fail, we can’t always keep our promises, and we all have limited capabilities.
But if we read the following verses, He says
7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 They will be
like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when
heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails
to bear fruit.”
In other words, when we put our trust in the Lord, He will never disappoint. Why?
Because He will always keep His promises. What does He promise those who come to Him?
I. He will grant the desires of our hearts
1 John 5:14 ESV “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask
anything according to his will he hears us.”

When the Israelites suffered under the oppression of the Midianites, God sent an angel to
Gideon. He said, ‘The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.’” Gideon responded, “If the
LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? The LORD has abandoned us”
(Judges 6:11-13).

The angel persisted saying, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s
hand. Am I not sending you?” (Judges 6:14) Gideon replied, “’How can I save Israel? My
clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family’ The LORD answered,
‘I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive’”
(Judges 6:15-16).

Gideon asked God twice to give him a sign proving His power and He graciously
answered. Gideon was insecure about his abilities. He was so focused on his inadequacies
that he failed to realize it was not about him.
There are many causes of insecurity, but if you look at it closely, more than anything, it is
caused by our failure to fully trust God. One of Satan’s greatest weapons is doubt. Satan
loves for us to question who we are and how we measure up to others. Gideon’s story
reminds us that God understands our doubts and fears. He uses our weaknesses to lead us
to depend on Him, and then through our weaknesses, we experience His strength. That is
why my life verse is,
 2 Corinthians 12:9
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather
boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with
me.

Do you sometimes feel like Gideon? You feel weak, powerless, unimportant? Come to
Christ, He will give you confidence and strength to prosper in the work of your hands.

II. He will give us perfect peace.

Isaiah 26: 3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he
trusts in you. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

Moses’ story
When God called Moses to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt, He spoke to Moses saying,
“I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. So I have come to rescue
them...So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of
Egypt.” (Exodus 3:7-10)

Moses argued with God, revealing his insecurity:

“Who am I that I should go?” he asked. God responded, “I will be with you and promise
to bring you to worship on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:11-12)
“What if they do not believe me or listen to me?” God demonstrated he would use
miracles and signs to show proof. (Exodus 4:1-9)
“I have never been eloquent...I am slow of speech and tongue.” God responded, “Who
gave human beings their mouths?... Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you and
teach you what to say.” (Exodus 4:10-12)
Moses ended with, “Please send someone else” (Exodus 4:13). He still wouldn’t believe
he was enough for this assignment. Although angry, God showed Moses grace by sending
his brother, Aaron, to speak for him. Moses felt totally inadequate but when allowed God
to use him, he became God’s instrument in leading his people to freedom doing miracles
along the way.

If we know God is with us, why do we still experience feelings of insecurity, doubts, and
fears? Many times, insecurity takes the form of worry about the future. Worrisome fears
about the future are rooted in a doubt of God’s provision. This doubt that we foster in our
minds breeds strong feelings of insecurity and a lack of peace, resulting in fear and
depression.

Are you anxious about your future? Are you afraid that you aren’t enough? Are you
worried about a lot of things? Come to Christ. He alone can take away your anxiety and
offer you peace that passes all understanding.
III. He will never forsake us.
 John 6:37 says “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me
I will never drive away.”
The Samaritan woman came alone in the heat of the day. Some scholars suggest the
reason why she came at that particular time was to avoid their judgment and rejection
because other women shunned her due to her past. Normally, a Jewish man would not
speak to a woman in public much less a hated Samaritan.

But Jesus surprised her by engaging her in conversation. He offered her living water, an
invitation to believe in Him. Then He said, “Go and call your husband and come back.”
“’I have no husband’ she replied. Jesus said to her, ‘You are right when you say you have
no husband. The fact is you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not
your husband.’” (John 4:16-18)

So, whatever was true about her life, she likely had experienced deep pain and feelings of
unworthiness. When Jesus revealed His identity, the woman believed Jesus and ran to tell
everyone in town about the Messiah (John 4:29). The woman, presumably isolated
because of her past, told everyone about Jesus. As this woman learned, Jesus’s love for us
frees us to share that love with others.

All over social media, we see people doing anything and everything just for likes, for
views. Some of them even go as far as showing their bodies just to receive praises from
strangers. Insecurities can drive people to do desperate things, just like the Samaritan
woman who thought she could satisfy her insecurities by having many husbands. But
Jesus showed her that only He can bring her lasting, eternal satisfaction.

We are all inadequate by ourselves, but God welcomes and loves us exactly as we are.
(Revelation 22:17) “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is
thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.

Jen Smith “It will only be when we find our worth in God that we will be free from
insecurity. Free from trust issues. Free from feelings of inadequacy.”
Are you longing for love and acceptance? Come to Christ. He will never condemn you.
He alone can love you unconditionally.

Conclusion:
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:20, 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in
Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.  In other words, no matter
how many promises the Lord has made, we have an assurance that not one will ever fail. We can always
claim His promises if we put our trust in Him.
1. He will grant the desires of our heart.
2. He will give us perfect peace.
3. He will never forsake us.
Nothing is more discouraging than trying to please everybody. If you’re always trying to be something
you’re not, you’re always going to be under stress and fear of being exposed, and you’re going to be
prone to discouragement.
Who are you? Do you still carry with you different masks? Is your life filled with filters? Yes, you may
look attractive to people, cool to your friends, you may seem like a faithful Christian but who really are
you? If you claim to be God’s son or daughter, stop focusing on what others think and start focusing on
what God thinks. Only one person knows you completely, loves you unconditionally, and knows exactly
what you’re created to do: God. When you live for God, you live for an audience of one.
You will never feel truly secured if your value is defined by what people say and think about you.
Freedom comes when you look to God for approval and not anyone else’s. You don’t need to earn his
love. You don’t need to be perfect to please him. You can’t buy his approval or fake your way to it. He
knows everything you’ve ever done, and he still loves you—totally, fully, and overwhelmingly.
God showed His glory through Gideon, Moses, and the Samaritan woman and they found their strength
and identity in Him. We can also experience it, when we trust in Him.
True and eternal security comes when we recognize that only God can satisfy. When struggling with
feelings of insecurity, never forget God’s promises. Never forget what Christ has done.
(Romans 5:8) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died
for us.
Come to Him, and experience security that this world can never offer.