Summer of Discipleship: Identity in Christ
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For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.
Let’s Pray - Children Dismiss
Today is our final week in the Summer of Discipleship series and I want to begin this week a little different than normal.
I want to begin by sharing one of the most iconic poems of our day and it goes like this:
Each of us has a dream, a heart’s desire. It calls to us. And when we’re brave enough to listen, and bold enough to pursue,
That dream will lead us on a journey to discover who we’re meant to be.
All we have to do is look inside our hearts and unlock the magic within.
Ready to begin? Let the wonder, take hold.
Feel it draw you in. Watch the moment unfold.
Spark a dream that we’re meant to follow, Setting out for a new tomorrow.
Anyone know the next line?
These are the opening lines of the greatest firework show to ever be created, one that puts illuminations to shame.
I do understand how controversial this statement is to some of you, but facts are facts, and facts don’t care about your feelings.
What I just read is the opening lines to a show of make believe, in a place of make believe, where you can escape reality and embrace the fantasy.
A place created for that very purpose and reason.
Walt Disney once said: “I don’t want the public to see the world they live in while they’re in the park. I want them to feel they’re in another world.”
In this sense, it is just a show, just a song, just a spectacle to be enjoyed, to bring forth a laugh, and maybe a tear or two.
There is nothing wrong with this in its proper place, with the proper mindset, while embracing a proper worldview, to enjoy a fairytale.
Because that is what it is, a fairytale, a fictional story.
This is where we can explore Christian freedom.....however, today’s topic is not about Christian freedom.
What we will seek to explore today is this: what happens when we begin to embrace fiction as if it is non-fiction?
What happens when our escapes become our longings?
When we begin to believe the make believe, when we take fantasy and try to make it reality.
When we believe we have the power forge our own destiny, where we are our own gods and creators,
When we believe all we have to do is unlock what is already there,
Then we are no longer enjoying a fairytale but trying to become the animation.
Yet, no matter how hard we try, no matter what we think, no matter how much money we spend, we cannot become what we are not.
I dreamed as a little boy that I was Peter Pan.
Which could explain my love for Tinker Bell.
But no matter how hard I tried and no matter how hard I believed, I could not fly, I could not fly, I could not fly.
You see as kids, we often blur the lines between fantasy and reality as we begin to understand who we are.
This can be either incredibly depressing, or it can be incredibly liberating.
Because we can either embrace that which we are not and can never truly be, or we can embrace who we were created to be.
Today we are going to talk about our identity.
Specifically we are going to talk about Christian Identity.
What we aim to discover is who we are, is based on who’s we are.
Who we are is an incredibly important question we all ask ourselves.
Yet, there are an unlimited amount of paths that people will take to find the answer.
However, our Creator has not left this question to be pondered with no hope of an answer.
Matter of Fact, our Creator has given us a crystal clear answer to who we are and more specifically who we are in Christ.
Which this answer is at the very core of Christianity.
While there will be no fireworks at the end of the message and Ned said it wasn’t in the budget for me to zip-line out of the pulpit.
My hope is that you will leave here wowed, not by the make believe, but by the reality of who you are in Christ.
My hope is that you will leave here not trying to embrace something that you can never be, but who you were already created to be.
My hope is that you will leave here today with your eyes fixed, not upon yourself, or upon others opinions of you, but upon Jesus.
If you want to know what my Wishes are, it is that you would not seek a magical Enchantment to realize your Happily Ever After,
But that you would seek Christ.
That you would discover that your true identity is not one that you create,
And is not one that culture creates, but is one that God, your Creator, has already created and given you.
Here is what we will seek to explore today and the notes that I encourage you to take while listening.
1.) What is our true Identity?
Specifically, by looking at our Creator can we see what we were created to be?
2.) The purpose of our Identity
Specifically, once we know who we are, how are we to be who we are supposed to be.
3.) Stumbling Blocks to our identity.
What must we guard against, and be aware of, when it comes to our identity.
Then lastly, point 4 will be...
4.) Our identity as eternal and not just temporary.
I want us to see how we should look at our identity as everlasting, not just temporarily.
Now that we have our plan before us, let us jump into God’s Word to see these truths revealed.
Let’s begin with point 1: What is our true Identity?
The simple quick answer that should shock nobody in here today is this: We are God’s.
Thus, our identity is found in who God created us to be.
We are created by God, sustained God, and told who we are by God.
Many of us will instantly recognize Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
At the very beginning of the Bible, which I can’t wait to jump into starting next week, we see this undeniable truth of Scripture.
It was God that created us.
But, instead of camping out here, I’ll save that for us to explore in a few more weeks, I want to jump into the New Testament.
Speaking of and connecting to Jesus, we see how the Apostle John ties everything back to Genesis.
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Two verses earlier we find out about the Word and the Word is God.
Then we see that all things are made through the Word, and we find just a few verses later that the Word is Jesus.
Therefore, we understand that All things, including you and I are made through Jesus.
Just in case we are not 100% certain, John gives even more clarity by saying that without Jesus, was not anything made that was made.
In other words, if something was to be created, Jesus was the one to create it.
While we know in Genesis that God created male and female, we see that Jesus not only made us but made everything.
To further clarify this and to make sure there is no mistake in this understanding, Paul adds to this understanding.
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.
This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible because it declares the power, might, and sovereignty of our God.
Everything we see, even what we do not see, were created through Jesus and for Jesus.
He truly is the ruler of everyone and everything.
To sit and meditate on what this truly means is mind boggling.
There is no one and no thing that will not answer to King Jesus.
My goal with going in this direction is to not only show that we were Created by God, but to show us that we are His.
He is who made us, who sustains us, who advocates for us, and who dictates our purpose and our reason.
We were not created and then left here to just “figure it out.”
We were not created and then left here to just “Do whatever makes you happy.”
We were not created and then left here to just “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you die.” Mindset.
But, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords created us for His purpose according to His standards, and thus,
Our Identity must be found in who He is and who He says we are.
Now, as we see all of this and if we truly grasp this and understand the immensity of our God, it could be terrifying in a sense.
We may begin to feel incredibly small and insignificant, and tremble at the thought of the awesome power and might of our God.
What captivates me is not only seeing the grandness of our God and His Sovereignty in Creating us, but to also see how He created us.
Listen to this and let it encourage you this morning.
Psalm 139:13–14 (ESV)
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.
Not only is the all powerful and almighty Lord the one who rules and sustains all things, but that He personally knits us together in our mother’s womb.
We were created with love and care.
We were created specifically and purposely.
We were created as a wonderful and beautiful work of God who intimately chose every aspect of who we are.
This is vitally important because it is in knowing not just that God created us, but how we are created, that helps us to grasp our identity.
What if we look at ourselves as a mistake?
What if we look at ourselves as a miss step and that we didn’t turn out the way we were was supposed to?
A pick up line that I don’t think has really worked in the history of Creation is this:
Wow, God really broke the mold when He created you. (Has anyone heard that one?)
Which basically means that God figured out perfection when he made that person.
I’ve tried that on my wife and was expecting her to swoon over sweet words, but instead of swooning she told me that was heretical and dumb.
and here all I’m wanting is brownie points.
But, in that same mindset of perfection you could flip it around and think that maybe God made a mistake when He created you.
Perhaps God is still trying to figure out how this all works.
However, the writers of Scripture know of no such concept.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
God is so great that we cannot fathom or understand. His perfection is infinite and therefore, He does not make any mistakes.
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
God’s power is beyond our comprehension and cannot be measured.
Where we make mistakes....like my attempt at a pick up line with my wife, God does not make mistakes
Thus, His creation of us is exactly who we are supposed to be.
Now, since this is true of who we are, then why is it that we often feel that while God created us, there are mistakes in us?
One, we go wrong when look to our own thoughts instead of God’s and
Two, we go wrong when we look to other people’s thoughts instead of God’s.
Both of these lead to sin.
Sin, because we are crediting our thoughts as if they were true of God and others thoughts as if they were true of God.
God sees us through the perfection of Jesus and His work that will bring us into perfection upon uniting with Him in eternity.
Sin in this case, is seeing ourselves not in Christ, but seeing ourselves in something other than Christ.
We were created by God, and for God, and we have a purpose that is God created.
This is not in and of ourselves, and isn’t in what others say we are to be,
But our purpose and reason is found in Christ and that is why our identity must be found in Christ.
Which brings us to our second point.
What is our purpose?
Since we are created by God, and for God, what is the purpose of our creation and the purpose of our identity?
In Ephesians, right after Paul concludes my favorite Gospel unpacking in verses 1-9, we are told this incredible reality.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Let me just say that we could spend an entire series just looking at all of the aspects of this verse and barely scratch the surface of the depths found here.
But, the overall thrust of this verse is very clear.
We are God’s and created for a purpose.
We were created in Christ Jesus, and this was done so that we can accomplish God’s purpose through the mission He has given us.
Through good works, that honor and glorify Him, we make God known.
Here is our answer for the purpose of our Creation and ultimately why our identity is in Christ. (Be sure to write this down)
God made us who we are so we could make known who he is.
If you want to know the reason for your existence, the purpose that you were created for, who you are at the core, it is this:
You are fearfully and wonderfully made so that you can know God and make known God.
Our identity is for the sake of making known his identity.
This is very important for us to understand and hold to.
If we begin doubting who God has made us and begin seeking our own thoughts to discover who we are,
Or if we let the world around us try to convince us of who we are, then we will not be able to declare who God is.
What we will begin declaring is our own thoughts instead of God’s.
We will begin declaring the world’s thoughts instead of God’s.
So, how do we declare God and make Him known?
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
We do this by giving Him all glory and honor through our lives.
In other words we glorify Him and make much of Him through the life that He’s given us.
When we find our identity in Christ, it is no longer about us,
When we find our identity in Christ, it is no longer about what others say,
When we find our identity in Christ, we declare who Christ Jesus is, as He is our Creator and our Sustainer.
Jesus is our purpose and our Mission and our goal is to make much of Jesus and make Him known to our friends and neighbors.
This verse tells us that we let our light shine not for our glory, not to make much of us, but to make much of Jesus.
This isn’t about spreading our Kingdom, or building our domain, but to bring forth Christ’s kingdom.
There are all sorts of ways to accomplish this, and the point of today isn’t to explore all of these ways....
But, the point is to know that our purpose is to explore and engage in ways to give God glory and bring about His kingdom.
This is the purpose of our Creation and the core of our identity.
In our community groups this week it would be fantastic to brainstorm on ways that we can be a light for God in our every day life.
Now we move on to our 3rd point. What are stumbling blocks to our identity?
We will stumble and be confused about our identity when we stop listening God and we start listening to other voices.
There are two voices that are often the culprit when it comes to stumbling blocks to our true identity.
First is the voice of the world, and second is the voice within.
Let’s begin with the voice of the world, or more specifically the voices of those who do not find their identity in Jesus.
Whether it be through school, work, neighbors, and friends, or it is through social media or media in general like movies, shows, and music.
If we get our understanding of ourselves and our understanding of the world around us, from the world, then it will warp our view of reality.
Well, what if so and so really knows me and truly understands me?
What if these horoscopes get me and the enneagrams define me?
What if……and the list of options will go on forever.
The problem is that these philosophies, or these human traditions, do not start with God or end with God.
Everyone has a different thought, a different opinion, and a different concept.
They also are constantly changing, evolving, and switching depending on cultural whims.
Thus, if we listen to what the world says, we will be constantly confused and unsure about who we really are.
The way we think about the world, and process the things of the world, is known as our worldview.
Everyone has a worldview and everyone credits different voices in shaping their view of the world.
Our worldview will also shape our identity.
God has revealed Himself as the Creator and has revealed Himself through not only Creation but also the Scriptures.
Which if we want a Christian or biblical worldview, we must go to the Bible.
We must test what we hear, what we see, and what we know, to that of the Scriptures.
But, if we let politics shape our worldview we will begin to think like a republican or democrat when it comes to every aspect of this life.
If we let a mouse shape our worldview we will begin to think with pixie dust when it comes to every aspect of life.
If we let the latest fad or movement shape our worldview then we will follow whatever trend is popular until it becomes unpopular and the next trend follows.
But, if we follow God’s Word, then we will have an unchanging and firm foundation of which to build our understanding of God, this world, and ourselves.
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
A key to this command that the Apostle Paul gives us is to not be taken captive by.
We are actually to do the opposite.
We are to take captive everything we experience and test it to Christ.
If we define who we are by philosophy and human tradition, then we will come to a wrong conclusion about who we are.
If we define ourselves by the one who created us, sustains us, and has a plan for us, then we will know who we truly are.
We must test everything.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
We must test people, we must test ideas, we must test experiences, we must test fads, and we must test it to what God says is true.
If it aligns with what God says, then we can hold to it knowing it comes from God and not an outside voice.
But, if what you hear about yourself, see about yourself, experience about yourself, comes from another source, we must reject it.
Which is why we must always test what we hear and experience to God’s Word.
Now, we certainly understand the temptation of listening to the voices around us, but another stumbling block is listening to the voices inside us.
Not only is it dangerous to have our worldview influenced by the world, it is also dangerous to let our worldview be influenced by our own thoughts.
The reason why this is dangerous is that we are born sinful from birth and our natural bend is away from God not to God..
Our natural bend is our own happiness over God’s mission.
Our natural bend is to please ourselves over pleasing God.
Thus, we can be deceived not only by the world, but also by ourselves.
If you believe God made a mistake with you, then you will not be able to display the truth of who God is.
What we must understand is that we make mistakes, not God.
We twist our thoughts and we let outside voices influence us away from God.
We let ourselves and society tell us that we are not what God intended us to be, so that we focus not upon God but upon ourselves.
Thus we are what we think we are.
This is why self help and self love is the popular religion of our day, and many are surprised to find out that self help and self love are more pagan than Christian.
Billions of dollars are spent every year listening to people who call themselves influencers try to tell you how you should think and what you should feel about yourself.
Your greatest problem is that you do not think highly enough about yourself one may say.
Your greatest problem is that you have not unlocked your true identity, another will proclaim.
As soon as you discover the person you want to be, then pursue that person, then you can be that person.
Whatever you want to be, you can be that, and that can be your identity, if only you believe it to be true.
Here’s the problem. You exchange the identity we have through our Creator and instead create a caricature that we somehow think will be better.
Have you ever stopped at a caricature booth and have them draw a portrait of yourself?
You have the big head, the small tiny body, big eyes and goofy smile.
It looks just enough like you to recognize it to be you, but in reality looks absolutely nothing like you.
Everything is exaggerated and you look silly.
We enjoy them because it gives us a good laugh.
However, when we find our identity in ourselves and in our own thoughts, then we created a caricature of our identity that frankly is just silly.
It isn’t who we are, it isn’t what we were created to be, and we will never find full satisfaction because we know deep down that isn’t who we are.
Listen, no matter how hard we try to be someone or something else, we will never be anything except what God created us to be.
We either embrace God’s plan or we become miserable fighting a battle that we will never win.
We rest in the goodness of God and perfect will of God, or we try to become our own god and do battle against the almighty One.
And that is a battle we will lose.
So, what do we do?
The way we combat the voices outside and the voices within is this:
Stop listening to your feelings and start listening to God.
In other words it isn’t what you feel that makes you who you are, it is what you know that makes you who you are.
Specifically it is who God says you are, He is who defines you for He created you.
Here is a catchphrase that is absolutely true that you should write down.
We become what we behold.
If you behold Christ, if you look to Christ, if you trust in Christ, if you seek out Christ, if you behold Christ, you will find your identity in Christ.
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Lastly, point 4, I want us to look at the importance of our identity beyond this moment and into eternity future.
We have a purpose here on this earth and a mission that we live out right now.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
While we are on this earth we are united to Christ and live for Christ.
But this is more than just for this life, it is for the next life as well.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
Our identity is not just for the temporary but for the eternal.
We are Christ’s now and forever.
We will live out our purpose and mission, today, tomorrow, and in heaven and eventually the new earth.
Thus, if we are going to understand who we are in the present, we should also look to who we will be in the future as well.
This is where our hope will keep us strong in the trials of the temporary.
Because our identity is in Christ sin will be defeated.
Because our identity is in Christ death will be defeated.
Because our identity is in Christ we will reign in victory with our Lord and King for ever.
If you look to others to define you or look to your own thoughts, you will only be looking at the temporary, but when you look to God’s definition of you and embrace your God given identity you are embracing the eternal.
In conclusion:
When it comes to our identity we often begin with who are we And we then try to figure it out.
But, the better question would be to begin with whose are we.
Since we are created by a Creator then we are the Creator’s and our identity is found with our maker.
To seek to discover who you are and who you are meant to be, outside of who God says you are, is to ultimately reject God.
To reject your Creator is to make you the creator and the god of your existence.
This will ultimately make us miserable because our identity cannot be self acquired.
But, we can also go wrong when we let other voices from outside define who we are.
We give them power over our lives that they do not have any right to when we listen to outside voices instead of God’s voice.
Our identity is incredibly precious, so much so, that Jesus died to free us from the bonds of sin that warp our mind.
He ransomed us from the clutches of a society that wants to confuse and manipulate us.
Through the plan of the Father, the accomplishment of the Son, and the application of the Spirit, our eyes can be opened to who we truly are.
What we will discover, is that who God made us to be is the best version of ourselves that we could possibly be.
To know that we are not a mistake or an accident brings forth hope and confidence in who we are.
Let me close with Paul’s appeal to each of us in the letter to the Romans.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
This is our worship and this is how we make much of Jesus.
Do not present yourself to the world to judge you and then define you.
Do not present yourself to your own thoughts and desires that are corrupted and warped through sin.
But instead….
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
May we be willing to start testing what we believe about ourselves to what we know about God.
May we find our purpose in Christ, our reason in Christ, and our identity in Christ.
Amen? Let us Pray.