Who Am I? Part 2

Who are you?

Ask yourself that question: “Who am I?”.

I don’t mean your name or your family or your heritage.

I’m not talking about your ethnicity or what you do for a job or what kind of hobbies you enjoy.

I’m talking about your IDENTITY…Who are YOU?…the REAL you?

If you are a Christian - a believer in Jesus Christ for your salvation and eternal life…you know where you will spend eternity based on your faith in Jesus…YOU have an IDENTITY that no one can take away from you.

People enjoy taking “selfies” - photos of themselves that they can post on social media and send to friends and family.

It’s a fun way to communicate with others

And the camera doesn’t lie, right?…actually in many camera apps, there are many filters that can change how a person looks, the lighting, the skin tone, the eyes, lips, nose, even make people look like an animal or some other silly face.

But the Bible gives us a true picture of ourselves - a no filter selfie that is always true. It shows us who we really are - it gives us our identity!

Let’s look at the first chapter of Ephesians and see just WHO you are!

Tonight, we will learn three truths about our identity in Jesus:

Blessed By God

Chosen By God

Adopted By God

Accepted By God

Redeemed By God

Forgiven By God

4. Accepted By God

Ephesians 1:6 (NKJV)

6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

when we believe in Jesus - put our trust in Jesus to save us for eternity from the punishment our sins deserve - we are automatically and immediately “accepted in the Beloved”.

The word, “Beloved”, is a name for Jesus.

God the Father called Jesus by this name while Jesus was on the earth:

Mark 1:11 (NKJV)

11 Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

When a person believes in Jesus, God’s grace makes them accepted in Jesus.

Ephesians 1:6 (NKJV)

6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

The word “accepted” means: to cause to be the recipient of a benefit, bestow favor on, favor highly

God’s grace makes us worthy of His favor!

We could never make ourselves worthy of God’s favor - so God does that for us!

We are accepted by God because we are “in the Beloved” (i.e. in Christ)

This relates back to verse 5, where it tells us about our adoption into God’s family.

We are Accepted By God!

5. Redeemed By God

Ephesians 1:7a (NKJV)

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood...

When we place our faith in Jesus, we are REDEEMED!

The word redeemed means:

Redemption: release from a captive condition; acquittal

When someone is redeemed, they are released without further prosecution, and they are acquitted of any charges formerly brought against them.

It doesn’t mean that they never did the crime - only that they will never do the time.

And when a person believes in Jesus, they are immediately and eternally acquitted of all their sins - past, present, and future!

Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV)

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood...

And this verse tells us how that is possible - it is through the blood of Jesus!

Only by Jesus shedding His blood are we redeemed - that was the price that had to be paid.

If you had a traffic ticket and you showed up in traffic court to stand before the judge and answer for your bad driving decisions, but as you are being sentenced and fined, a voice comes from the back of the room and says, “Your honor, I will pay this person’s fine in full.”…what will happen to you? - Your fine will be paid and you will owe nothing! And then the judge could say, “And strike it from his record permanently!” - You would be aquitted!

Romans 5:8 NKJV

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

4. Accepted By God

5. Redeemed By God

6. Forgiven By God

Ephesians 1:7–8 (NKJV)

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

Forgiveness: the act of freeing from an obligation, guilt, or punishment, pardon, cancellation

Not only does God redeem us (released from a captive condition), but He also relieves us of our guilt.

God pardons us by cancelling our sin and the debt we owe Him.

John 19:30 NKJV

30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Paid In Full! - There is nothing left to pay or do or owe!

Jesus paid it ALL!

Ephesians 1:7–8 (NKJV)

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

Notice the words I have highlighted this time.

First of all, this forgiveness is possible because of God’s RICH grace!

Secondly, God does not give His grace sparingly - He is extravagant!! God gives out grace not in scattered showers, but in typhoon size torrents!

Grace is God’s unmerited favor towards us in spite of who we are and what we have done.

And it is RICH grace - it is opulent grace…it is wealthy and powerful and abundant!

Who am I?

Blessed By God