A New Identity

1 Peter 1:3–4 (NLT)

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

What Is an Identity Crisis?

An identity crisis is a developmental event that involves a person questioning their sense of self or place in the world. The concept originates in the work of developmental psychologist Erik Erikson, who believed that the formation of identity was one of the most important conflicts that people face.

According to Erikson, an identity crisis is a time of intensive analysis and exploration of different ways of looking at oneself. Erikson noted that developing a sense of identity is important during the teenage years, though the formation and growth of identity is not confined to adolescence.

Instead, identity shifts and changes throughout life as people confront new challenges and tackle different experiences. Thus, an identity crisis can occur at any age

An Identity Crisis comes when we face challenges, when we are face to face with the unknown, when we are unfamiliar with a situation, so we start to question ourself and we start feeling like we have no purpose in the world.

maybe you are feeling that way right now. you are going through a difficult time, or your facing challenges in your family, work or faith, and due to that you have started questioning if coming to church is worth it, maybe you have started to question your calling, or the purpose God has for your life.

If you are feeling that way, you are going through a Identity Crisis.

Peter is writing to Christian who are going through a big persecution, and notice that when he writes to them, he didn’t say “ I prophecy that this will be over soon” he didn’t say “ in a few years Christianity will be accepted and this persecution will be over” no. he didn’t say non of those things. Instead he reminded them of something that would help them in their Crises. He reminded them of something that they could use every time they found them self in a similar situation.

In Verse 3 he says “ we have been born again”. in other words “ we have been given a new identity”

My conversation with Hermano Benny.

He reminded me of my calling and who i was in the kingdom of God, he told me to remember who i was and the grace that God given me.

When we face challenges in our faith, life and family we need to remind our self of the new identity we have in Christ.

1 Our New identity comes from the mercy of God.

v.3 It is by his great mercy that we have been born again

Our new identity doesn’t depend on our on ability to do things. It doesn’t depend on how we see our self either.

Exodus 33:19 NLT

19 The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.

We have received this new identity because of the Mercy of God, how good he has been to us.

the calling we have is because of his mercy in our life.

the family we have is because of his mercy in our life.

his presence that we experience everyday is because of his mercy.

“IF God approve of us, no body can disapprove of you”

2 Our New Identity is founded in the power of resurrection.

v.3 because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,

Romans 8:11 NLT

11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Romanos 8:11 (NTV)

11 El Espíritu de Dios, quien levantó a Jesús de los muertos, vive en ustedes; y así como Dios levantó a Cristo Jesús de los muertos, él dará vida a sus cuerpos mortales mediante el mismo Espíritu, quien vive en ustedes.

Peter is not only reminding the new believers of their identity, he is telling them that they can have great expectations even in the middle of difficult times, because they have resurrection hope.

Church you can walk with great expectation, even when you are going through difficult times.

Your new identity is not limited by what you are going through. You can be going through difficult times, and still have Joy in jesus, nothing can be going your way and you can still keep hope. Why? because you have a different kind of expectation. your expectation is base in the power of God.

Don’t let the circumstances of life define your expectations, rather live with the expectation that the power of God offers you.

3 Our new Identity has greater blessings.

v.4 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

Our inheritance is priceless, is kept in heaven, is undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

What God has given us will never change, it will never lose its value, we can be sure that we will be ok at the end.

Read this scripture for the closing

1 Peter 2:9–10 (NLT)

9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

10 “Once you had no identity as a people;

now you are God’s people.

Once you received no mercy;

now you have received God’s mercy.”