It’s bittersweet for me to be finishing up our New Identity series….it’s such an important topic for us to understand in our walk with CHRIST! If we really get this ONE truth our relationship with God and with others would be revolutionized! What is that ONE TRUTH?? OUR IDENTITY ONLY COMES FROM CHRIST!!! When we accept what Christ did for us by His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead we are a NEW CREATION…the old is GONE and the NEW has come! I likened it to putting on a new outfit, when we are clothed with the likeness of Christ; humility, gentleness and self-control, to name a few, we respond to situations in life SO much differently than before.
Living in this truth can change our lives, we can become free from things that have kept us locked in old patterns…additions, bad habits, anger, lust, greed and selfishness can be turned over to the forgiveness and grace of Jesus.
It’s not a common conversation, but Satan is REAL! Just like Jesus was tempted in the Bible, Satan comes to tempt us to step away from our faith and from walking with the words of Jesus! I find that negative thoughts creep into my mind often, little whispers that tell me that I’m not worthy of preaching the gospel, or that I can’t control my temper. I know these negative thoughts are NOT from Jesus living in my life but are from Satan who comes to steel and destroy any good that God is building in my (our) life!
BUT SATAN CANNOT STEAL OUR IDENTITY!
Our identity is sealed in Jesus! Ephesians: 1:13-14 tells us that “When you believed in Christ, He identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit….the Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised and that He has purchased as his people.” Jesus has become our NEW IDENTITY, His gift to us on the cross reconnected us with God the Father. Now when God looks at us, He sees us through the lens of Jesus, through His blood shed on the cross! When we believe it covers over our sin (behaviors that are against God) and we just shine worthy and whole in God’s eyes!
HOW AMAZING IS THAT!?
Our identity cannot be grounded in things of this world! Our identity is NOT what job we have or what stuff we have accumulated! We must recognize that our identity is not based on what we do or do not do! IT’S ONLY ROOTED in what Christ did for us on the cross! John 3:16, a well known scripture tells us this very fact: “For GOD so LOVED the world that He gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish BUT have eternal life” SO SIMPLE, yet so complicated! In our earthliness, we feel better when we are striving for something, hard work, determination, dedication….all such good things…but those good things can get in the way of our ability to accept that all we need to do is ACCEPT!
REST in this fact! Accept His gift!
To watch the weekend talk, click here!