Investigation Discovery - Your True Identity In Christ

Investigation Discovery - Your True Identity In Christ

By Ed Black

Good morning. My name is Ed Black and I would first like to thank God for this opportunity to proclaim His Word. Secondly, I would like to thank Pastor Steve for lending me the pulpit of this gracious church. And, finally, I would like to thank all of you for being His church.

I would often tell me young men; Mom and I want you to know ‘who you are’ within these four walls of our home, because as soon as you walk out that door, the world will entice you to put on any number of identities. Your identity is foundational and if you know who you are you will never loose yourself.

Well, it all started with one little question;

“Who are you?”

This is a question I have asked myself at various ‘crossroads’ in my life.

This is question that served as an azimuth-check to keep me on the correct course in discovering my true identity.

And, this is a question that we will investigate this morning as it relates to our new identity in Christ.

My desire this morning is that the ‘delicate brush strokes’ of The Holy Spirit will begin to paint a portrait of Christ on your heart. And… you know what they say; “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

In the book of Romans, Paul gives us the ‘marks of a true Christian’ and I would like these words to serve as a banner and a sign post over our lives as we begin this morning.

Please stand if you are able for the reading of God’s Word…

Romans 12:9-13 (ESV)

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”

Please bow with me in prayer... (Begin message with prayer.)

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One of my favorite ways to engage a person I’ve never met before is to ask the question; “What’s your story?”

So, what’s my story?? (I’m glad you asked.)

My name is Ed Black. I’ve been married to my beautiful bride, Nita for 32 years. We have two handsome young men, Rylan and Channing, and a perfect daughter-in law, Riley.

I am the oldest of three to my parents Edward and Wanda Black. My siblings and I grew up as a Navy-Babies because my Dad was an Aviation Technician in The United States Navy.

During the time my Dad was stationed in Key West, FL my Sunday School teacher led me to Christ.

Remember I mentioned earlier about ‘crossroads’ in my life?

Well, this was my first ‘crossroad’—a time when I realized God’s love for me. And, even at that young age, the truth of God’s love for me compelled me to obedience. So, I did my best to follow Him.

If you know anything about military families you know there is a lot of moving… We moved just about once a year right up till my high school years and then we had a series of moves that allowed me to attend no less than five high schools from 9th grade to 12th grade.

The second half of my junior year we came to Phoenix. I remember telling myself at the ripe old age of 17, “I could settle down and raise a family here”… I absolutely fell in love with The Valley of The Sun, and when I think back to the factors that contributed to my love of Phoenix, I observed several things about the area… No earthquakes; No hurricanes; No blizzards; No tsunami’s… You get the picture? Except for the tsunami-part, I had experienced all of the above in the various places my Dad had been stationed through the years.

At the end of that school year we moved to Hazlet, New Jersey for the first half of my Senior year, then back to Corpus Christi, TX were I graduated with the same folks I started my Junior year with… (Whew). After a quick stint in Jacksonville Beach, Florida I returned to The Valley.

About 18 months after returning to the Valley, I met the most adorable young lady who happened to be bringing treats in to her coworkers on her day off. And that’s not all, that day was her birthday. (Who gives presents on their birthday?)

Just over two years later we were engaged, and 16 months after that we were married. It was a whirlwind romance.

Enter ‘crossroad’ number two… I knew that I could not be the man my wife needs me to be until I was wholeheartedly following Jesus, so I rededicated my life and began an intentional discipleship journey at North Phoenix Baptist Church.

A few years later God would bring a great man of God into my life and into the life of our church. His name was Dan Yeary. Under his teaching and leadership I learned the most important lesson about my identity in Christ. Dan would often say; “You are a disciple of Christ, Carefully disguised as”… (well... you fill in the blank)

Dan uncovered a fundamental principle of being a Christ follower. He revealed my ‘true identity.’ And, that is this...

“I am a disciple of Christ before I am anything else.” (repeat having everyone say this together…)

Well, in order to know who we are in Christ, we need to know who Christ is…

So, grab your Bibles and turn with me to one of my favorite passages in Colossians were Paul paints us a portrait of who Christ is… The passage is Colossians chapter one, fifteen through twenty.

In Pauls letter to Colossi he begins with his familiar greeting of grace and peace. He thanks God in prayer for the people in their demonstration of faith, love and hope as they grew in the knowledge of the gospel. Paul ends his greeting with a blessing of endurance and patience for the church. In the next section of verses Paul uses powerful descriptions as he gives us a portrait of the Preeminence of Christ. Let’s read…

Colossians 1:15-20 (NLT)

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. (Amen)

* The word we translate as “image” in verse 15 (pronounced εἰκών - acone in the Greek) is transliterated to the word“portrait” in English.

How many of you remember Bob Ross and the beautiful portraits he would paint? He always started with a blank canvas. Bob would use colors like Cadmium Yellow, Titanium White and Van Dyke Brown to bring to life an invisible image that was in his mind, making it visible to the seeing world. Well, Jesus is the most beautiful portrait ever created because He literally gives us a glimpse of God. Amen. The word we translate as “head” in verse 18 (pronounced kephalē - kepahlely in the Greek) is transliterated to the word “source”. Just as the ‘head of a river’ is the source of that river, Jesus is not only the source but He is the sustainer of His Church. Amen.

It’s all about Christ. He is at the center of it all. Listen to how God’s Word confirms this fact…

Everyone is created in His image through Christ:

Genesis 1:26-27 (ESV)

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Everything is held together by Christ:

In 1979, a little molecule called “Laminin” was discovered by a chemist named Rupert Timpl.

The significance of laminin is foundational. You see, laminin is a critical and integral part of the structural scaffolding in almost every tissue of any organism.

In other words, it is this molecule that holds everything together.

Do you think God knew what He was doing when He created you?

The microscopic imaging of this molecule revealed it has a shape in the form of a cross. It seems that God reveals His truth to us even though scientific observations. Amen!

Praise God that we are “fearfully & wonderfully made!” In fact, scripture says that you and I were knitted together in the womb.

Psalms 139:13-14 (NLT)

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Amen.

So, Everyone is created in His Image, Everything is held together through Christ, and...

All-Things are reconciled through Christ:

Not only is Christ the ‘Head of the Church’, but He is the first born among the dead, having paved the way for eternal salvation by conquering death. In doing so, Christ paid the penalty for our sin reconciling and redeeming us back to God the Father. And, God was pleased to dwell in Him completely. (Col. 1:18-20)

So, who is Jesus Christ?

Again, a picture is worth a thousand words...

- In the image of Christ we get to see God Himself. Amen.

In fact, in John 14:9 Jesus said to Phillip; “if you have seen me, you have seen The Father”.

This is good news for us and it’s all a part of God’s plan in revealing Himself to us.

Scripture continually reveals Jesus to us. So, what do we know about Jesus?

We know that Jesus existed with God in eternity.

John 1:1-4 (ESV)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

We know that Jesus is God’s only son.

John 3:16 (ESV)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

We know that Jesus was sent to save us.

John 3:17 (NLT)

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

- Once you and I become a child of Christ —putting your trust in Him, you have a new identity.

From the very moment we trust Christ we began a journey of discovery —an investigation of who we now are in Christ, and it is a life-long journey. Amen.

I ask the question again... “Who are you?” (“Better yet, who are you in Christ?”)

As we walk with Christ on our journey of discipleship we discover some things about our new identity in Christ. We discover that…

We are A New Creation -

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

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

We have a New Purpose -

2 Corinthians 5:18 (ESV)

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

We are His Workmanship -

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

We are His Disciples -

Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT)

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We are His Ambassadors -

2 Corinthians 5:20 - 6:2 (ESV)

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, (Isa.49:8) “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Amen.

Now is the day of salvation....

- Have you accepted Christ?

- Have you embraced your identity in Christ?

- Are you ready to be His Disciple?

- Make the decision for Christ today.

Once again, I ask you to please stand for the reading of God’s Word. I would like this passage serve as a ‘seal’ ratifying our new identity in Christ, and a reminder for us to put away our ‘old selves’ in order to put on our ‘new selves.’ Amen.

Colossians 3:8-17 (ESV)

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Amen.

If you made a decision this morning I want to encourage you to respond to the prompting of The Spirit as I pray. Come down to the alter and make a profession of faith in Jesus.

Let’s pray... (End message with prayer.)

—————————————————————————Transition - Jesus knows that we are forgetful creatures, so He left us with an ordinance that helps us remember what He did for us on The Cross.

The Lord’s Supper, also known as ‘Communion’, is an Act of Worship. As we bless the cup and the bread we take part in what Christ did. (1 Cor. 10:16). Amen.

The Lord’s Supper is a Memorial commemorating and confirming the everlasting covenant Jesus accomplished through the shedding of His blood. (Matt. 26:28)

And, The Lord’s Supper is a Proclamation of our faith in the efficacy of Christ’s perfect sacrifice on our behalf (1 Cor. 11:26). Amen.

Now, Deacon David will lead us in the taking of the elements…