The Identity Exchange

Runway:

Break in Case of Emergency

We believe that the Bible is God’s Word and that it is the truth that informs our lives as Christians.

This is the reason why it is so important to run to this [hold up Bible] when life gets difficult.

Last week Heath started off the series taking us through the promises of God found around Jeremiah 29:11.

Today, we are going to be looking at Ephesians 2:1-10, which is a passage of Scripture that you have probably heard before. Whether it will be your first time or your hundredth time hearing this text, I am confident there is something that God wants to speak to you today.

Pray

Take-off:

The Dreaded Question with Three Words

“WHO ARE YOU?” (Repeat) - It is a simple question with three words, but for most, it is the question that pains our souls. We feel the sting; We feel the insecurity; We feel the confusion; We hate answering this question.

Identity Crisis

You are beginning to become your own person, and this is natural as you grow up.

Putting my identity in seminary with the result of anxiety, pressure, tension, shame, etc… [realizing this with students team at coffee shop]

I am confident you all are facing the same thing that I have…

I don’t believe this text is break in case of emergency; I believe this text is break because there is an emergency!

Flying the Plane:

Setting up the Text:

Ephesians 2:1-10 shares a summary or a story of our position in regards to God

I want to take us through that story and show you the Bible’s answer to the question “Who Are You?”

Paul is speaking to believers

Ephesians 2:1-10

The Past of Your Identity

Ephesians 2:1-3 “1 And although you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you formerly lived according to this world’s present path, according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience,3 among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest …”

transgressions = sins which are committed in knowledge of a known law. (ex. stealing from a store)

sins = any form of wrongdoing, whether consciously committed or not, and thoughts, words, and deeds which fall short of God’s perfection. (ex. punching your sibling or friends because you are mad at them)

Using both of these words, Paul is emphasizing the point that everyone is in this camp.

Result of our transgressions + sins = spiritual death

An identity that is spiritually dead is fueled by three things that we see in the text in these verses:

Our World // “according to this world’s present path”

The Devil // “that is now energizing the sons of disobedience”

Your Flesh // “in the cravings…indulging the desires of our flesh and mind”

Child of God’s Wrath:

by nature = our natural tendencies and desires are not bent towards loving and pleasing God

We are the recipients of God’s judgement for our nature and actions, and helpless to change any of that.

The experience of waiting on your parent’s punishment as a kid…

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The Exchange of Your Identity

Ephesians 2:4–7 “4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

The way that God made us alive with Christ is through the Exchange of the Cross.

The sins + spiritual death of humanity for the righteousness + eternal life of Jesus Christ.

Jesus took the payment of wrath we deserved and paid it on our behalf.

That is why Paul writes… “by grace you have been saved”

Grace is not getting what we deserve, but getting what we didn’t deserve. [Getting pulled over by a cop illustration]

Child of God’s Grace:

a son or daughter of God who has been forgiven, made righteous, and given eternal life with God.

nothing and no one can take that away from you (Romans 8:38-39).

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The Security of Your Identity

Ephesians 2:8–9 “8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 it is not from works, so that no one can boast.”

“it is the gift of God; it is not from works…”

“Your life has been a constant cycle of change…you have really never known something longer than 4 years…” [Colleen Hatmaker during our team meeting]

Friend groups change…You grades change…You might move cities or states…THINGS CHNAGE, GOD DOESN’T

The last words that Jesus spoke before he died on the cross were “it is finished.”

[serious tone] I want to be clear: Your security is IN Christ Jesus…nothing else.

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The Purpose of Your Identity

Ephesians 2:10 “10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

More than “getting your ticket to heaven” and proceeding to go about your own life trying to find your identity in the things of this world.

The world says “find your purpose”, [increase voice and then pause] God is saying i have had your purpose since the beginning of time.

The freedom found is that we don’t need to find our purpose, we need to walk it out.

Your identity shapes what you believe and value, and what you believe and value, you will do. Do you see it?

Landing the Plane:

The Story of Your Identity

Child of God’s Wrath [stop and acknowledge the people the room]

Child of God’s Grace

The Person and Work of Jesus Christ [stop and acknowledge trading Jesus for other things]

Good Works

A Generation of Confident Sons and Daughters of God

a radical breaking and ripping apart of who you are and what you do…

Tim Keller says… “if our identity is in our work, rather than Christ, success will go to our heads, and failure will go to our hearts.”

our heads will be inflated and our hearts will be crushed…

A Continued Fight

This is not always a “flip the switch” conversation. The three enemies to your identity are still waging war for you to not believe the truth of what God says about you and what God has done for you.

I still need this truth, I still need to fight to believe and know this truth, I still need this truth to transform me.

Wrestle with this together in group. Fight to cling to what God say’s about you + live it out. You are a loved son. You are a loved daughter. You are a Child of grace purposed for good works in Christ.