Identity in Christ...

Ever changing Identity

I’m going to assume you’ve all taken part in a job interview

did you know Surveys show 78% of candidates lie during a job interview process

Salary, embellish education, previous dates, job responsibilities

Doesn’t stop there, social media, dating sites etc. creating a false identity to get opportunities and relationships that we want

WHY????????

Create a identity because we’re insecure about if we’ll be accepted as we really truly are and want to please who we’re in front of

i hope you know

Attempting to try to find an identity in things of this ever changing world will lead to further insecurity fear, anxiety because there’s only a matter of time before that identity will run out.

However God from the beginning created an identity for us to find perfect fulfillment in, and once we have our identity genuinely secured there it remains that way forever.

Most secure identity that we can have is in Christ.

In Christ means.... (Gospel) Confidence and your life

Paul is so serious about this that he mentions some variation of what it means to be in, with through Christ about 160 times in his epistles alone.

I’m not going to give you a 160 point preaching,

I’m providing 5 implications of what your life should look to have an identity In Christ First means

Let’s first go to a familiar passage where Paul explains before and after

Phil. 2:1-10

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:1–10, ESV)

In Christ you are secure. Giving your life to Christ places you in the family, adopted, receive all the benefits

“… created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10b, ESV)

Created for good works that’s what we should live our life to do

An Identity In Christ First means...

Understanding That Anything Else Being First is a Sinful Distraction

God is not interested in sharing the top spot in your life. 1st commandment you shall have no other God’s before me.

Before we get too far, let’s address and clarify good works.

IN CHRIST FIRST - Not just any good works, (Jesus says No bad tree, one not in Christ, can bear good fruit)

good works without Christ are not pleasing because you’ve rejected him.

Things that are not done with the ultimate goal of glorifying Christ is a distraction, takes us off track from the one thing (our purpose) that matters in this life

Illustration shooting free throws - crowds goal is to distract to get you to miss the goal

In this life our opposing crowd consist of 3 main enemies that aim to distract: world, flesh, devil

world seeks to conform us to whatever mold is current

devil - hangs past and present sins over your head to doubt your faith

flesh seeks self glory - praise for accomplishments or expects only good to happen and get mad at God when things don’t go our way

Die to self

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me...” (Galatians 2:20, ESV)

Following Christ is not a way amongst others it is the way!!!!

It’s not an option not take it or leave it.

The Bible, Gospel, Heaven or Hell is for everyone

All created in the image of God, all have a purpose and that’s to glorify him in everything that we do

Those treasures and rewards will be stored in Heaven, everything else (house, job, relationships, money, experiences) will come and go, and are nothing but a distraction if they are your main identity

TR - v. 10 gives us our relationship with God being in Christ

“For we are his workmanship...” (Ephesians 2:10, ESV)

We are his, we have a boss and a creator that has given us a job to do.

If we decide to do something other than the job description at work it’s not going to end well

An Identity In Christ First means...

Seeking to Please God Above All

Doesn’t matter what other will say, you have an audience of one!

Care about pleasing God! Guess what

cant please without knowing God by being in his word

1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

When you really think about it? Impossible to please man. There’s always something different to run after. No objective standard.

We’ve all been a part of a “What have you done for me lately” job environment... its exhausting

Identity in Christ comes with one objective source, God’s Word for our direction, stays the same yesterday today and tomorrow. You don’t have to guess

But the consistency doesn’t come with serenity. There will be rough roads ahead filled with road blocks and objections

That’s promised in John 15 - If they persecuted me they will persecute you.

Jesus says you don’t belong to the world because I have chosen you out of the world…

TR - Paul also reminds of God’s choosing us not based on anything we’ve done in our passage

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV)

“even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—” (Ephesians 2:5, ESV)

TR - Because it was never due to anything that we did in the first place, once we’re truly in Christ, we can’t lose the gift of salvation from God.

An Identity in Christ First means...

It’s your identity once and for all

New creation 2 Cor. 5:17 - Old passed away (nothing to go back to) - Butterfly

Past circumstances don’t define you - you have been forgiven

Singleness does not define you first - lead, serve, get busy where God has you (my goal is to have this ministry thriving and buzzing with you being ALL in for Christ )

Once and for all meaning...

Ultra sensitive culture has the ability to dictate a-lot of things especially social media but it does not have the ability to cancel you out of your identity in Christ

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28, ESV)

TR - You can’t lose it. This is who you are for eternity

“and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” (Ephesians 2:6, ESV)

Citizenship has changed. Home is with the Lord v.6

This is not our home, not supposed to be comfortable, and not our job to make it so comfortable to be a permanent home.

An Identity in Christ First means...

Having hope in God’s Promises for eternity

We’re not in this alone, we share that with the body of believers that we are directed to be with to be stirred up

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:23–25, ESV)

Being in fellowship with the body of Believers corporately keeps our eyes on where we’re going not where we are.

Charging station illustration

Not just consumers - We need to charge people up and be charged up to glorify God at our full potential.

When we don’t like low battery mode our spiritual lights can become dim

Lastly to sum it all up...

An Identity in Christ First Means...

Everything else is Rightly placed below Christ

“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16–17, ESV)

Job, spouse, friends, parenting, how you fill your schedule

Job - Find contentment in your work because you realize God has you where he wants you to bring him glory without constantly

Spouse - You know what to look for, someone that is going to spur you on to love Jesus more

friends - those that push you to be more like christ instead of pull you away

parenting - see your kids as gifts from God that need to be trained up, not idolized and want to make happy

fill your schedule - starting with Christ and filling things that support your identity in Christ

I was reading a couple about this couple that was driving along and noticed a late-model cadillac hood up. Driver appeared agitated.

Low on fuel important business meeting, didn’t take time to fill up

Spare gallon - gas station a few miles down the road - sped off

12 miles - same car side of the road - more agitated - in such a hurry he skipped the service station dim hope that he could make it.

Hard to think anyone would make a nonsensical decision, but that’s how many of us handle our identity in Christ.

We’re so busy with all the distractions in the world, you may not truly have an identity in Christ, or we may say it verbally, but we don’t stop to examine and make sure our lives truly reflect our identity in Christ first and foremost

We all will be identified with something in life,

It was important for me to start the summer off with this because it’s the only identity that matters

my hope is that you’ll often always examine what it means to have your identity in Christ first and ensure that’s happening in your life.

Make sure your heart and life reflects the one identity in Christ that lasts forever.