The Matrix 2.0 with Paul McDonald and Dan Horner (Part 2 of 2—Identity vs Doubt)
Paul McDonald and Dan Horner take a deeper look at The Matrix (1999), starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, and Carrie-Ann Moss. Last week we snorkeled, this week we’re going scuba diving. We must go on a journey to claim our identity, and that road will lead us through our doubts. We live with a conflict of dual identities—the old man (Thomas Anderson) and the new man (Neo). And the only one that can prevent us from becoming who we are meant to become is us.
Join us as we dive deep into this movie!
Quotes
You don’t know somebody until you know their story.
God isn’t mad at us, He’s mad for us.
We all have fears, and the enemy plays to those fears.
Mr. Anderson has to die so that Neo can live.
More and more of Thomas Anderson is going away, and more of Neo is emerging.
Our choices progress: asking a girl out on a date seems like a big deal until you’re faced with asking a girl to marry you. Deciding to buy a car seems like a big deal, until you are deciding on buying a house.
The difference between Neo and Cipher is that Morpheus didn’t tell Cipher that he was the one—jealousy, competition, and comparison get in the way.
You’ve got to believe there’s a bigger purpose.
The only one who can prevent Neo from becoming the One is Neo.
It’s a journey, not just of being, but becoming.
God has called you to a place in a story, not a seat in a church.
Our lives are an invitation to know God, and grow to love Him more.
Faith goes beyond what I think, but to the very essence of my being.
If you sit back and wait for assurance, you’re not going to get it.
We are after safety, security, and success, but our strength is developed through the struggle. We want victory without the scars.
There’s no victory without scars, there’s no adventure without risks.
It’s time to turn.
The core of our being is our connection to God.
When we are secure in our identity, we can become impervious to doubt.
Themes
We all have doubts about our identity. The problem is we are more familiar with our doubts than with our identity.
The enemy casts doubts on who we are, just like Jesus’ temptation: “If you are…”
We must go on a journey to claim our identity, and that journey goes through doubts.
Conflict of our dual identities—the old man (Thomas Anderson) and the new man (Neo, which actually means new).
Like Neo, we must discover that there is more to this life than what we see or expect to experience.
These things all happen progressively: waking up, realizing identity, making choices that impact the outcome.
The truth is we are the sons and daughters of God, but we must go through a journey to grasp that reality.
When we pursue our identity, calling, and purpose, sometimes we have to ignore the voices (and doubts) of those around us. We have to learn to filter what is true. Many people would say what Cipher said, “You’re not the one. If you think you’re the one (you’re special, different, called), you’re wrong. You just do what we do.”
Waking up to what’s really going on is tough.
We turn to Jesus for salvation from sin, but we also need to ask Him in to heal and redeem our story.
You discover who you are by action. You don’t just get told you’re the one, you become the one through your choices and through your actions.
We associate faith with doubt—You have to have faith because you have nothing else left. But Biblical faith is when I have assurance of things I hope for, and conviction of things that are not seen. People who have that are powerful. Neo has faith that he can go do something. Faith is doing something trusting that God will catch you.
The enemy will constantly throw your old self, your past, your mistakes in your face and tell you that’s who you are.
That place where we feel anxiety and doubt will be at peace when we receive our true identity.
Resources
Website for Mission Uprising: The Outpost: https://www.missionuprising.com/carolina-outpost
“Because we are the sons of God, we must become the sons of God.” – George MacDonald
“For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.” – Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” - Socrates
“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me (Jesus) will find it.” – Matthew 16:25 (NIV)
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” – James 4:7
“To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” – Revelation 2:17
Questions
What are the voices of doubt in your life? Do you agree with them?
What are the voices of certainty? What does God say about you? Do you really believe that?
What’s your story?
How has the enemy used your story to create doubt and fear?
What choices scare you? What decisions seemed big at the time that seem relatively small now?
How does wisdom and knowledge increase sorrow and grief?
Where do you feel doubt and anxiety in your body? How do you react?
What does it mean to examine your life?
How do you love God? How does He express His love for you?
How do you express love to the people around you? Can you apply those principles to develop a greater sense of love and intimacy with God?
What false identity has to die so your true self can live?
What struggles are you facing? Can you see how it’s making you stronger?
When have you turned from what you ran from and faced it instead?
What have you been running from?
What is your true identity? What name has God given you?