Who Are You - Living From Your Identity in Christ.

Introduction -

Building upon Abiding in Christ - Not moving on - Building off the foundation of abiding.

Abiding - Becoming Like Christ - Doing what Christ did.

We continue to Abide as we become like Christ! So we continue the practices that help us Abide.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How Do We Become Like Christ?

I am talking about character, nature, His divine humanity.

Today I want to discuss with you what I believe to be the most important step in becoming like Christ.

What is that step?

Believing you and I are to become like Christ!

Most of us are good with Jesus saving us from Hell, sin, sickness and disease.

But becoming like Christ? Are you kidding me, have you seen my life?

2 Peter 1:2–4 NASB95

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

He has already given to believers everything needed for life and godliness.

This is given to us through the true knowledge of him - This is built through a relationship with Christ. (Remember - Abide in Christ)

His promises were given so we could be partakers of His divine nature.

1 Corinthians 6:17 NASB95

But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

So we are to be partakers in His divine nature and to be one Spirit with Jesus.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Maybe you can at times relate better to Romans 7 than 2 Peter.

Romans 7:15 NASB95

For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.

Our problem is we are living out of the wrong identity!

An Identity that was formed through my parents divorce.

I was a failure because I could not keep mom and dad together.

Dad did not want to spend time with me because I was a failure.

This began to affect my grades. I was so scared of failing I would not even try.

This caused my dad to get angry and then he began to ask me if I was stupid.

I would always start things with a bang - do really good and then things would get a little tough and I would stop trying. It was better to quit I thought than to fail.

All my issues started right there.

God showed me in a split second, I was living out of my old identity.

And God had already given me a better identity.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB95

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

That is right, the Steven who was always scared of failure had died in Christ.

You died in Christ - addiction, fear, failure, lust, worry, anger, etc.

Colossians 3:3 NASB95

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

The old me had died and new Steven was born the moment I gave my life to Jesus.

The problem was I was choosing to live from my old dead identity rather than from the identity I was given in Jesus.

I think many of you are struggling in this same identity crisis.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let me show you want I mean

Ephesians 1:3–8 NASB95

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight

In Christ You Really Are A New Creation!

You are blessed and not cursed - You are not a failure

You are Holy and Blameless - You are not a filthy sinner

You are adopted by God through Jesus - You are sons and daughters of God! - Do not allow the failures of your parents determine your future.

You are redeemed and forgiven - You do not have to be a slave to sin & And stop rejecting the forgiveness of God. Who are you to say He can’t forgive what you have done. Stop living in that dark hole.

Oh but wait there is more -

Ephesians 2:10 NASB95

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

1 Peter 2:9 NASB95

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Don’t let your race, your nationality, determine your life - In Christ we are all given a new race (God’s Kids) and a new nationality (he Kingdom of God).

2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB95

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

The List could go on and on!

In Christ this is who you are!

The question is what identity are going to live in?

The identity that died with Christ and was buried with Christ?

Or the identity you recieved when you were raised with Christ?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How Can We Begin to Live From Our Identity in Christ?

Forgive -

Stop blaming mom and dad, the world, and everyone around you.

Forgive the mistakes your parents made, God knows as parents we try but we also fail.

Accept God’s forgiveness for your failures. Stop holding the past against yourself. God in Christ has forgiven you. Receive it and accept it and then move on from the past.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Die - Let the old identity die

Romans 6:1–4 NASB95

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

You have to be willing to die to your former life. Let it go, let the people go, let go of those old friendships, let the old you die with Christ.

Trust me the new you in Christ is far cooler than the old sinful you.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Abide in Christ-

See it all ties together.

You will never know who you really are until you choose to abide in the one who is giving you a new identity.

You become like the one you hang out with. Want to look like Jesus? ABIDE in Jesus.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Faith -

This is going to be hard every spiritual power will try to convince you that you cannot change.

Yet faith trusts despite the accusations of the enemy or even our own mind that God will accomplish His promises to us and to the world.

Hebrews 11:1 NASB95

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Fully trusting in the promises of God through Jesus is the evidence of the change we hope for, even if we do not see it yet.

Philippians 1:6 NASB95

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Faithfulness -

God is faithful to His Word and requires that we live faithfully towards His promises.

It is not fake it until you make it, rather it is living from the promises of God even if you cannot see it yet.

Begin to live as the person God has called you to be. The identity you have in Christ.

Example - Get up and walk (Lame man had to believe it and then faithfully live from it) - Lame man got up and walked.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Depend on the Power of the Spirit of Christ in you.

Romans 8:1–4 NLT

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

If you belong to God through Jesus the Spirit of Life has freed you from the power of sin. (Freed as in past tense already happened)

Yet instead of depending on the Holy Spirit in us we, we make decisions and judgments based on our carnal desires.

If we want to live from our True identity in Christ we have to begin to depend on the Holy Spirit which dwells in you!

----------------------------------------------------------------

Conclusion - Call the band up.

You are

1 Peter 2:9 NASB95

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Our old identity was formed by human culture, what others have said about us, the mistakes of our past, and the lies of the enemy.

Your new identity is one of racial unity, royalty, a new nation scattered across the Globe made up on God’s kids. You are God’s choice possession.

This grace is worth shouting about, it is worth telling the world about.

Let go of the old, dead, beat up identity - take it off like a worn out coat.

And put on your royal robes

Put on the signature ring of the King

Cloth yourself in the identity and nature of Christ our Lord and King.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Let me end with this question.

Do you want your children’s identity to be shaped by your old identity or do you want your children to be shaped by your identity in Christ?

Will your old identity help bring the Kingdom of God to this city?

Or will it take sons and daughter of the Kingdom of God?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you are in Christ, His identity is yours - Will you choose to live in it?