New Identity in Christ (4 of 4)
22 June 2008
1. Introduction:
· Proverbs 23:7 - “As he thinks in his head so is he”.
· People live their live out of what they believe about themselves – whether it is true or not.
· What your heart beliefs yourself impact the spiritual atmosphere around your life and relationships. How do you see yourself? Who are you?
· People define themselves by: name, who they’re connected to, gender, race, social status, experiences, words of others etc.
· Many people define themselves as a victim; others by their performance.
· Failure – people believe to live life as a failure.
· Abused - begin to live like victims all their life. They attract people who abuse them.
· God want you to define yourself by revelation – what God says about you.
2. God defines us according to His Purpose:
a) Example of Jesus:
· Matthew 1:21 - “You shall call His name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins”
· Luke 4:22 - “You are my beloved Son in you I am well pleased”.
· Jesus’ identity was constantly attached by Satan – ‘if you are – then prove it’.
· Jesus defined Himself by revelation – what God the Father said about Him, Jesus the Saviour.
· Because Jesus knew who he was where He was from , where He would go.
– John 1:3-5
– Free from opinions from people, Jesus washed their feet, his live wasn’t defined by money, position, property etc. but who He was with God.
– Free from the need of status, privileges, position
– Free from performing to please others
– Free to serve God and people
· See yourself in relations to Jesus. If we look at ourselves we can’t be who God wants us to be.
· If you confine people by your expectations they can’t be who God called them to be.
· What does God say about you? That’s you identity.
· “Most people don’t know where you’ve been, but God knows where you could go!”
· Romans 4:17 - “God calls things as though they are”.
b) Other men in the bible:
God renamed people in the bible who God called them to be not who others say they are.
· Gideon – mighty man of valor - Judges 6:12
· Abraham – father of nations - Genesis 17:5
· Jacob – Prince - Genesis 32:28
· Peter – Rock - Mark 3:16
· James and John - Mark 3:17
c) Embracing Your identity in Christ:
· When you know who you are in Christ and embrace it you become:
i) Confident – no longer insecure and comparing with others.
ii) Connected – no masks, able to enter relationships/intimacy.
iii) Creative – no longer copying others, able to be original.
· Embrace how you live out who you are. Discover who God called you to be, what you can become and what you could do.
· The One who created you can tell you about your dreams, future and where to go.
· Live by what the Father says about you – you will become free of who you are – take of the mask – be creative, not a copy of others – not be someone else but you.
· 1 John 3:1-2 - “Beloved, now we are children of God”.
· 1 John 4:17 - “As He is – so are we in the world”.
· Ephesians 2:10 - “We are His workmanship”.
· Romans 6:22 - “…became servants to God…”
· 2 Corinthians 5:20 - “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ”.
3. Who we are in Christ:
· 2 Corinthians 5:14-17 - “If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things have become new”.
· New motivation – the love of Christ – verse 4
· New Centre of Living – No longer living for self.
· New perspective on people – “Know no man after flesh - verse 16 - i.e. by outer distractions e.g. birth, race, gender, rank, wealth, talent, education etc.
· It is your job to discover who you are. I am doing things because I love God and Jesus Christ.
· Old you = selfish New you = generous, not self centered.
· Look at people in a different way – not what they do, what they’ve got, out of prejudice and jealousy.
· We will look at people for who they are inside, a brother/sister, will see people how Jesus sees them – valuable eternal beings.
· New Identity – “old things have passed away, all things have become new” – verse 17
· New creation = freshly made, original creation, total renovation inside, a fresh start, old away, new things come into a person’s life.
· In Christ = joined to Christ by faith, like a branch to a vine, a life source.
· Old things = selfish natural ways of living life, God, people and self.
· Behold = invitation to perceive, look at a totally new scene.
· When you are born again – according to God you are a totally new creation.
· We must ‘behold’ – begin to see who we are in Christ now, live that out.
· Legally all the old bandages and limitations of the past have been broken.
· I must grow up into who I am in Christ by beholding and embracing His realm.
· All people = one kind of people, not colour, man or woman, not judging people of how they look on the outside – see them as a child of God with awesome potential.
· It’s a hard thing to withhold judging people.
· Only those who accept Jesus could be children of God and have eternal life.
· How come I still ‘feel’ the same? Still have some old struggles?
· Ephesians 4:22-24 - “Put off the old man (corrupt), be renewed in the spirit of your mind, put on the new man”.
· God requires me to participate in the process of change!
1) Put off 2) Mind renewal (renovation) 3) Put on
· Your subconscious mind retains everything from your past.
· It stores the types of feelings you experience and express.
· It stores the opinion, views, conclusions, mindsets and judgments you form.
· It stores the beliefs you form.
· It revives old thoughts, beliefs, and feelings as you experience familiar incidents.
· Old negative experiences, mindsets belief and influences of past must be cut off and new ways of thinking, feelings to be embraced.
· If your mind is not renewed you will act out of the old man – then will become a ‘try harder’ to be a Christian.
a) Resolve past issues that impacted your Identity (how you see yourself):
· Allow the Holy Spirit to remember bad experiences, grief over them and forgive the people involved, take on new experiences.
· Emotions that arises = first key to deal with issues.
· Romans 12:2 - “do not be conformed (pressured) to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”.
· Transformed = rt. metamorphosis = transition from caterpillar to butterfly.
· Resolve: * Painful emotions - remember to grief over them.
* Beliefs that ate ungodly – identify what belief it is and reject them.
· Take the building apart and put in new renovation. Be open, stop controlling it, face what’s going on and deal/work with it.
b) Renew your mind: (how you see what you belief):
· Renew = to renovate, strip out the old and completely refurbish.
· 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 - “Beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image”.
· Beholding = to mirror yourself, to see reflected, to look at yourself in a mirror and see the glory (nature) of God.
· How?
1) Read what God says about you
2) Personalize it
3) Imagine it repeatedly
4) Believe and embrace what you see
5) Declare it – speak over your life
· Some people remember who they use to be and reject who they are now.
· What does it look like to be generous, kind, loving and free – imagine it, meditate on it, make it your own, see yourself as God sees you.
c) Practice Positive disclosure – Own up, and make known likes and dislikes, how you feel, be honest in talking about things, dream, be who you could be.
· Identify and speak out instead of concealing.
i) Feelings ii) Likes and dislikes iii) Goals iv) Desires v) Ideas and thoughts
d) Express Joy and Generosity
· Change your behavior to agree with your beliefs – Put on /put off.
· Two expressions of Identity:
i) Joy = laughter – Psalm 126:1-2
ii) Generosity – Luke 6:35
· Part of growing in Identity is to be generous and be filled with joy.
· ‘Your a Christian, you need to be like this, stop living under condemnation’.
· Do not live condemned; it’s not a hopeless Christian life.
· Live out who you are, if you’ve failed you are still a child of God.
· You are redeemed in the Lord, lovable because God says so.
· Make God’s Word the guide to our life.
· We are children of God, ambassadors of a King, a people who the world has not seen yet – live it out.