Keith - Our Identity in Christ

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Well, today we are going to address a very personal question together. And that question is, who am I? No scripture is much to say and answering this question regarding those of us who are believers in the Lord Jesus and we will ultimately answer this question together as we turn to God's word today and that I'm certain of But before we do that, I thought it would be helpful for us to address just some of the struggles that many of us encounter concerning our identity.

First need to understand, just how important our identity is. Our identity is highly determinate if it affects many aspects of Our Lives. And how we answer the, who am I question determines in large part? What we think believe and feel about ourselves and about others? It influences our worldview. It shapes our theology or what we believe about God.

It's no wonder that when we take it upon ourselves to try to determine who we are, there's chaos and confusion. Thankfully. God defines who we are and scripture explains our core identity, our very essence as being in Christ. And not as the sum total of our feelings thoughts and experiences.

It seems right, that the one who created us with fully know who we were made to be, especially since God made us in His image.

Oh My Hope Is that we become more self-aware concerning ways, we wrongly understand receive and live out our identity. And then once we learn more about the broken ways that we interpret our identity, we will then have specific touchpoints where scripture can actually map onto these particular struggles. And I think that's important for all of us because we all can grow in our ability to apply the truth of scripture to our own lives and two others lives as we walk side-by-side with them.

Well, let's look first at how being given a diagnosis often defines who we are, right. No suffering can be overwhelming, especially when it is intense and prolonged. Our whole life becomes wrapped up in the problem and the struggle often becomes the driving force that shapes. Who we think we are.

The way we speak about these issues can reinforce this to a large degree. I am a CD. I am bipolar these diagnoses are intended to give your particular problem. A name for the purpose of describing your symptoms as succinctly as possible. However, this does not define who you are. Your diagnosis is not the sum total of your life.

And instead of saying I am o CD, it would be more accurate. And actually helpful to say I struggle with intrusive thoughts,

and when we were speaking to or about somebody else, let's address the person suffering, I am so sorry that you struggle with those intrusive thoughts. That must be really difficult for you.

Remember to share language from scripture that Roots their identity in Jesus Christ.

We must provide a guide word orientation that reaches beyond their diagnosis, to the one who can fully sympathize with them.

And we will gain a better understanding of how to do this during our passage study today. Another way that we make trouble for ourselves is when we automatically find our meaning and purpose in our jobs, our relationships and her Hobbies, maybe your job title or particular role defines, Who You Are. I am doctor, Pastor teacher artist or I am at home schooling mother or father. we all have titles and roles that we claim for ourselves and that in, and of itself is not wrong or harmful, However, the moment that our title or role determines our meaning and purpose, we usurped Christ from the Throne of our heart. And we all must guard against falling into this worship disorder where our identity is based on what we do rather than one who Christ is and what he has done. To give us true identity, that's found only in him.

The same worship disorder happens and co-dependent relationships when people become dysfunctional, e in meshed right? One person drives their meaning and purpose by being the other person savior. Well, that person, the enabler receives their meeting and worth for feeling care for by that other person. But here's the thing, both parties are missing the true Messiah and his role as Lord and savior. He is the one who holds all things together and he is the one who establishes and sustains our true identity.

We are not as important or capable, as Jesus.

We are not the Christ.

We are not the one who holds all things together who rescues restores every news. We need the first and foremost, turn to the Lord and depend on him to do what only he can do, as Lord and savior.

It is important that we move others toward the lord, to, and not set ourselves up to be their savior, cuz nothing good will ever come from that. All right, you will be disappointed because you fell short as their many Messiah. And the other person will be disappointed because you did not fulfill their expectation of a savior in their life that can only be fulfilled. For a relationship with Jesus.

And what about her? Hobbies, naturally, we spend time with or who we love, don't we? For where your treasure is there. Your heart will be also.

Now hear me, there's nothing wrong with Hobbies. There are many good Hobbies out there for us to enjoy. However, a good thing. Becomes a monster in our life when it receives our hearts full devotion.

It's our hearts full devotion is supposed to belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone deserves the right to receive our affections through worship.

The bottom line is that we become like whatever we worship and our identity is then formed and lived out of that worship. Let me say that again. We become like whatever we worship and our identity is informed and lived out of that worship. And this is by God's design. Thankfully as we grow in obedience to the great commandment to love the Lord, with all your heart mind, soul, and strength. The, who am I question? Is answered securely in Christ. Our worship is rightly directed toward him and we continue joining in the process of becoming more and more like Christ.

I can't think of a better passage that answers. The who am I question than Ephesians chapter 1 verses 3 through 14? So let's turn now to our passage in Ephesians 1 And as we study this passage to get together, I want you to bring along that particular ways that you struggle with your identity. Maybe you identified with one of the examples that I just shared as one of the reasons why you struggle perhaps your identity is wrapped up in something, completely different All I'm asking is that you identify it and keep it in the Forefront of your mind. As we seek the Lord this morning and his work. To please follow along. As I begin reading in verse 3 of Ephesians 1.

Praise be to God, the father of our Lord. Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the Heavenly Realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight in love. He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure, and will to the praise of his glorious Grace, which he has freely. Given us in the one. He loves. in him, we have Redemption through his blood, the Forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment to bring Unity, to all things in heaven and on Earth under Christ. In him, we were also chosen having been predestined. According to the plan of him, who works out everything in Conformity with the purpose of his will. In order that we who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of Truth, The Gospel of your salvation and when you believed you were marked in him with a seal, the promised, Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the Redemption of those two are God's possession to the praise of his glory.

Don't ask me work through this passage verse by verse together. Notice? How often the phrase in Christ is repeat. It. Paul describes, every Believers identity, as being in Christ. And then he unpacks what that actually means for us as Believers in the rest of the passage. So let's begin verse 3 and see how this is worked out. Praise be to the God and father of our Lord, Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the Heavenly Realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Who am I Blessed. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. And all praise goes to God, the Father through him. There are no earthly riches that can compare to the surpassing greatness of every spiritual blessing found in a personal relationship with Jesus. No other relationship can fill our lives with true meaning and purpose.

Anna POG is on a describe. Some of the spiritual blessings that we have in Christ in the rest of the passage beginning and verse 4. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

We are among the chosen in Christ. Our identity was for known by God before the creation of the world.

We are chosen in Christ. That is exciting.

What difference does this make in order in our day-to-day lives, though? Like what difference does this make regarding who we are in Christ?

Well, first, our identity is filled with real meaning and purpose from the one who created us to belong to him for his purposes. So the who am I question is answered in Christ for we are God's handiwork created in Christ. Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. You and I are God's handiwork. We were created in Christ to do. Good works.

And God prepared, those good works in advance for us to do.

Scripture tells us and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord, Jesus giving, thanks to God the Father through him. No title role or hobby. Will ever satisfy our deepest longings to belong to our creator and to be known and loved by him.

We are truly blessed, amen.

Apple continues in verse 5. he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will Who am I? Adopted. We are adopted children of God through Jesus because God desires us. He Delights in US. We bring him pleasure.

God's posture toward us. Is that a parental affection?

We are his beloved children and he is our good father.

we have true belonging, we are deeply rooted in the family of God,

So, what does this adoption mean for us in the Here? And Now

How does being productive for adoption into God's family? Functionally make a difference? Concerning our identity.

Buffer, why we no longer have to receive our sense of belonging and acceptance through memberships and Partnerships to Club societies and associations. Do we know because we belong to the body of Christ,

So, in Christ, we though many form one body and each member belongs to all the others. We belong to God and through Christ, we belong to one another and make up the church.

What an amazing identity that we have as Christ followers.

And Paul goes on a 6 to explain how our adoption was even made possible. Is this to the praise of his glorious Grace, which he has freely, given us in the one that he loves.

We are beneficiaries of God's glorious Grace. Which cost us nothing but cost him everything.

He grew up before him like a tender shoot and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or Majesty to attract us to him. Nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind. A man of suffering and familiar with pain. Like, one from him, people hide their faces, he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering. Yet, we considered him punished by God, stricken by him and Afflicted, but he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us, peace was on him. And by his wounds, we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to our own way and the lord has laid on him. The iniquity of us all He was oppressed and Afflicted yet. He did not open his mouth, he was led like a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before its shearers is silent so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment. He was taken away yet who of his generation for tested for he was cut off from the land of the living, for the transgression of my people. He was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death though he had done no violence. Nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet, it was the Lord's will to crush him and caused him to suffer. And though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin. He will see his offspring and prolong his days and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied by his knowledge. My righteous servant will justify many and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will give him a portion among the great and he will divide the spoils with the strong because he poured out his life unto death and was numbered with the transgressors for, he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.

You and I are Heirs of God's Mighty love that he lavished on us through Jesus Christ. Our identity is found right here in Christ in his love.

Look at versus seven and eight. Paul continues and says in him, we have Redemption through his blood for the Forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace. That he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. Who am I? Redeemed. We are redeemed through the blood of Christ, forgiven of our sins. We are lavished with God's grace through Christ. When all the, while we were unworthy to have received anything from the Lord. Yep. We received everything from him. He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all. How will he not also along with him? Graciously, give us all things.

Now, I must ask you, have you been holding up your counterfeit identity, alongside your identity, in Christ, that we have been discovering In this passage. Does it still have influence over you? Define you? Or has it been crushed under the weight of God's grace? Give it time. We still have several verses to go.

Going on in verses 9 and 10. We recognized that he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ. To be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment to bring Unity, to all things in heaven and on Earth under Christ. Who am I? Aware. We are aware of God's presence, his power and Promises through our relationship with Jesus.

we are given spiritual Insight by the Holy Spirit who comes to indwell us at the time of our salvation, So why does that matter? How does this impact our identity on this side of Eternity? Well, primarily the answer to the who am I question is no longer self-centered?

For God who said, let light shine out of Darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ.

We have this treasure in Jars of Clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us.

He died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again. Christ in US defines who we are and how we live as our will lines up with his will.

We are most human when we yield to our god-given identity and allow him to work in us and through us for his purposes and for our better good.

Appalled, keep sharing in verses 11 and 12. In him, we were also chosen having been predestined. According to the plan of him, who works out, everything in Conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

Paul is addressing his Jewish audience and these two verses he wants them to know that they were also Chosen and predestined with the intention that they would be the first to Hope in Christ.

God chose and productive than to bring praise and glory to him through Jesus Christ. Their true identity was to be lived out in Christ according to God's plan and his purpose. But then I'll quickly turns back to his Gentile audience in verses 13 and 14. And he says, and you also were included in Christ. When you heard the message of Truth, The Gospel of your salvation. And when you believed you were marked in him with a seal the promise, Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the Redemption of those who are God's possession to the praise of his glory.

We are secure in Christ. We belong to him now and forever. We are Mark and Steelton to him through the indwelling. Holy Spirit, guaranteeing our Eternal inheritance.

This is the great High Shepherds way of branding his sheep if you will. This way, everyone knows who belongs to him. We are identified as belonging to his flock to his family.

And this matters because we are constantly reminded of who our heavenly father is. And who Our Shepherd is,

And as we live in light of our identity in Christ, the world easily notices that we belong to him or at least they should easily notice that.

Living according to our identity in Christ also provides peace. Our souls on rest as we live in light of our identity in Christ. And as you well know, security. Peace and rest cannot be found anywhere in this world. Although everyone is longing to make security Andres constant companions in their lives. This is only possible through the outpouring of God's grace, to those who have accepted Jesus Christ, as their personal, Lord and savior.

as we've seen in our passage, our identity, as Believers is found in Christ, This reality is foundational to our face and that it helps us to live for the one who died for us.

As our lives, reflect Christ in us, we are recognized as Christ ambassadors by those who desperately need to know him. And not only is this true but we have an opportunity to offer true meaning, and purpose to others who are living out counterfeit identities.

They are desperately trying to fill a void in their lives. That can only be satisfied through a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.

I mean, people are longing to be known and loved than to have a deep sense of belonging.

We have what the world needs. We can offer them the solution to their identity crisis. His name is Jesus.

And we know that people are getting more and more desperate. Define their true identity, aren't they? I mean, this is obvious as we encounter preferred, personal pronouns and those who would like to be identified as animals the furries. Right. Right now, I couldn't possibly make this stuff up. It's just too bizarre. These things are really happening in the workplace in our schools. It is a sad State of Affairs.

These behaviors scream, help.

but here's the rub, if we have what these people need to live at the function as they were created to, And we stand by and do nothing to help them. What does that say about us?

I am not shaking my finger at you. instead, I'm speaking out of a deep conviction that I received during my sermon prep time with the Lord,

because my typical response to Identity dysphoria has been something along these lines. That's ridiculous. This world is messed up. People are just crazy, right? That's that's what goes through my mind.

Then I was reminded that I was just like them not too many years ago. Before the Lord revealed himself to me. I was trying to find meaning and purpose and all the things of this world and it couldn't be done. I was lost and without hope. I was the ridiculous one.

Living a life of insanity. But by God's grace he rescued Me From Myself and gave me a new life in Christ. A true identity.

And now I have the opportunity to share Jesus with others who are desperately searching for him and they don't even know it.

we have the most life-giving news that we could ever give to someone,

How can we not feel compelled to reach out to a lost world who needs to know their creator? Their redeemer, their rewarder, their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The only one who gives life and gives it to the fullest.

Let's reach out and Beyond mission.

Let's offer real help and hope to others bike, sharing the good news about him. With others.

And you know, one of the most effective ways that we can do this is by sharing how Jesus has made and is making a difference in our own lives. How we now have true. Meaning and purpose that is found only three personal relationship with him. Tell them how your life has changed and is changing. And how you live for the things that really matter. Things of God, things that aren't eternal.

Tell them how the void that once existed in your inner being has been filled with God's grace.

And then invite them into a relationship with Jesus so that their identity may be discovered and then deeply rooted in Christ. Will you pray with me? Let's pray and seek the Lord and asked him to help us in these ways.

Father, we come to you.

we come to you, because we know that,

We like sheep, oftentimes do go astray when it comes to our identity in particular.

And Lord, I want us. the commit today right now with you, That, that we would call upon you daily that we would ask you for help. That we would be reminded of our true identity. That is found in Christ.

and then Lord, I pray as you continue to Remind us of that very important truth that you would in turn use us in the lives of others who who are desperate. And who are in great need of you, Lord, Jesus, and that you would use each one of us in a mighty way to to bring them to a saving knowledge of you.

Now, father, we thank you that we could be in your word. We thank you for your word, your spirit, that that brings the word to life in our lives. And we pray that you would enable us to grow and to live these truths out. And very real and personal ways. For Your Glory and for our better. Good. And I ask all this in Jesus name, amen.

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