Identity

Introduction

Who are you really?

I mean, what really defines you?

Many of us were quite a few different hats. We play different roles. And it seems as we get older we accumulate more roles and has. But our identity is a little bit more then a role that we play.

Each one of us in this room is a citizen of the United states. And as such that gives us a perspective and an identity quite different from people born and rised in China or Russia.

We are all men and women who live in the Midwest. That means we don't have a Canadian northern accent “ eyy”? We also don't have a southern drawl slowing down our words y'all.

Of course most of us live in and around Terra Haute. We live in the Wabash Valley. And we constantly struggle with our identity as residents of Terra Haute with its checkered past and sometimes unambitious or broken future.

We live in a state and town that no one aspires to live in but many of us joyfully and gladly reside here. And the reason many of us live and reside in Indiana and Terre Haute is because of family.

Our family gives us identity as well. Did they come from a broken family or a whole family? Did we come from a mixed family from multiple marriages? Did our family have money or not?

And then of course we get identity from our work , our physical health, our likes and dislikes, who we choose to hang out with...

You know for the first time in American history a few weeks ago a national poll called the Gallup poll reported that less than half of Americans reported themselves as religiously affiliated. For the first time in American history less than half of Americans associate themselves with a religious institution. Less than half of Americans identify themselves as Christians, Jews, Mormons, Catholics etc.

Over the last year and frankly in the last several weeks men and women have taken to rioting in the streets because of their skin color and the baggage and treatment that comes with it. Right or wrong , real trouble or not, the color of your skin is a massive part of your identity.

Who you are attracted to is a huge part of your identity as well. Who you are physically attracted to and how you feel toward someone else is a big part of who each one of us is. Men and women constantly struggle with feelings of attraction and desire. Many times those feelings can be directed in a healthy direction. But much of the rest of your life you spend fighting to determine to not let your desires become your identity when your desires push you toward what is wrong. married men and women have to sort out how much their desires are a healthy part of their identity and how much they are corrupted by sin. The same ghost, of course for unmarried men and women who have to wrestle in the same way with how much their desires are a part of their identity.

A kaleidoscope of factors have collected to make this generation less an less connected to organizations and groups. It's harder and harder to form stable identity's because identity is many times formed in community. When you don't get together with other people who share your identity regularly you start to struggle with who you are.

And so today men and women struggle sometimes to define what their identity is. We struggled to pick out of the many different influences and influence tours in our life to pick what our most important identity is.

Of course the Bible has a lot to say about our identity. the Bible defines where we came from and who made us. It shows us some problems ... All the problems that are common to humanity throughout history. As we understand our identity from the perspective of the Bible, we will get a handle on what God says about identity.

Let's walk a little bit through what the Bible teaches about our identity.

The identity of all humanity

Genesis 1:27 ESV

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

We are all created in the image of God

and of course the Bible teaches that we are all affected by the fall and sin of humanity . We are cursed by what Adam did bring sin into the world. But I don't think many of us doubt that our world struggles with sinful brokenness. Especially if you spend any time reading the news.

But instead let's be reminded about another fantastic truth about our identity.

Psalm 139:15–16 ESV

15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

You see that all of us are created in the image of God and all of us are seen by God . He cares for us. He loves us.

Humanity shares an identity that is unique and separate from the animals we are created in the image of God. We are special.

so there is an inherent identity that all of us have simply by existing. And this identity that we believe because of what God teaches in the scripture drives so much of Christians value throughout history. it is what drives us to value life no matter where we find it. We value human life because it is created in God's image. That's why Christians today stand up and loudly fight for the right of the unborn child. That's why Christians today make a big deal out of protecting immigrants as well as our country laws. That's why Christians today are seriously concerned about welfare and caring for the health of as many people as possible. Yes, each of those issues I mentioned are mixed and complicated issues but at the heart is this value of human life that drives us as followers of God.

More than just an identity that we share by virtue of existence we also had the opportunity to choose an identity. You are born human. What you do with your life is your choice.

As a human born after Adam and Eve you are born with sin. We talk a lot in this church about how Jesus died to forgive our sins. He also died to give us a new identity.

For everyone that chooses Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior, God gives them a new identity.

I love how John wrote about our new identity

1 John 3:1–3 ESV

1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

as followers of Jesus God considers us children of God!!

Paul taught that being a follower of Christ means something new happening inside of us:

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

I love that, God begins a new creation inside of us . A change.

What's more when we are baptized as a follower of Jesus we put on an identity.

Galatians 3:27–29 ESV

27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Think about it, each of these labels in this list carry huge burdens of identity. Now the reality of our following Jesus did not dissolve every one of those labels and do away with every one of those distinctions ... But our identity as followers of Jesus overrides those labels and identity's.

Jesus taught that following him involved a certain relentless and sacrificial persistence.

Luke 9:23–27 ESV

23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

Jesus taught his followers that following him meant a willingness to sacrifice. That's a challenging passage. Is our identity as a Christian so important to us that we're willing to face shame for our faithfulness?

The desired Jesus had for us he defined in the Great Commission:

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

as a follower of Jesus we are called to obey what he's commanded and to be baptized as his followers. And to remember that he is with us.

We are Christ-followers, Christians

This means God has forgiven us for what we do past present and future.

This means we are monarchists, we serve a King before we serve any president or other earthly ruler.

This means our values are defined by what our King values.

This means as much as possible trying to understand what Jesus values.

Being a Christian means taking on an identity that demands allegiance, faithfulness, and obedience. But it also means forgiveness , love, and God's provision now and in the future.

Where does your identity fit?

OK, understanding our identity as believers is something simple enough for a child to grasp yet profound enough that you can spend a lifetime wrapping your mind around it. stating our identity is uncontroversial, living it is the hard part.

The Jenga tower of your identity

I want you to take a look at this Jenga tower. Elaine and Dennis helped me make it for the youth group years ago. I put labels on a number of these blocks.

political beliefs

where you live

money

gender

sexual Attraction

job

family

hobbies

nationality

skin color

Christianity

Sports team loyalty.

I want you to think about this tower and I want you to think about your own life. Which one of these things could you remove and still be you? Many of us were quite a few identity's slash labels and many of us find that not all of these identities are core to who we are.

What could you take out here?

What could you change and still be you?

One of my biggest goals with this series is too ask questions as much as or more than we provide answers.

Where is your faith in your identity? Where is it really? Could you take your faith out and still be you? I'm not asking what your life should be . I'm asking what it really is?

If you envision your life like a Jenga tower, Ann you take out everything that you could without the Jenga tower of your life tipping over, would your Christian faith still be in there?

If you honestly answer this question with a “no” Then I would like you to ask yourself what is it that you want? Do you want your faith to be part of the core of who you are? Do you like that your faith is kind of hanging out on the edges of your identity? What could you change to get where you really want to be?

On the other hand if you answer this question and you look at your life and your faith is part of the core of who you are . If following Jesus is a crucial element in your identity. If Christianity is a cornerstone in your identity ... Then it needs to be the most important element. It needs to supersede other values.

If your Christian faith is at the core of who you are that it needs to function as a filter over all the rest of your values. If you believe that Jesus died for you, that God punishes sin, and that Jesus is returning again to judge the world, then your actions only makes sense if you live like what you believe. Jesus and His teachings influence every part of life.

Your Christian identity influences everything else.

You are a Christian who lives in Terra Haute.

You are a Christian Who fights to reconcile what Jesus taught with the options you have for what and who to vote for.

You are a Christian who serves a King what happens to live in a monarchy of democracy yes Christie was what

Your Christian faith should influence everything.