Introduction

There’s a name tag on the table for every one of us. Maybe it’s not paper and ink, maybe it’s old memories and new mistakes, report cards and résumés, whispers and headlines. Labels stick. Some feel like tattoos. Others like Post-its that refuse to peel away. Have you noticed how fast the world hands them out? Too shy. Too loud. Too late. Too much. And then there are the labels we hand ourselves: Never enough. Always behind. If only.

But what if heaven has a better name tag with your name on it? What if God writes something on your life that outlasts every label, outshouts every whisper, and outlives every season? The good news is not a pat on the back; it is a brand‑new beginning. It is God placing His hand on a trembling heart and saying, “Mine.”

J. I. Packer once wrote, “Adoption is the highest privilege that the gospel offers.” That sentence sings. Adoption means belonging. Belonging means identity. Identity means security. Security means you can breathe again. When the Father calls you son or daughter, the ground under your feet settles. The noise in your head lowers. The spin of shame slows. Sin had written its graffiti across our hearts, but Christ has come to write His name where the old paint used to be.

Some of us walked in today managing a long list: the things we’ve broken, the bridges we’ve burned, the rules we’ve bent. Others walked in wearing medals: promotions, platforms, and praise. Whether you carried a burden or a banner, heaven offers something better—newness. Fresh mercy for morning people and night owls. Fresh mercy for the frantic and the forgotten. The gospel tells us that in Christ, the past doesn’t hold the pen anymore. Grace does. Can you imagine living with that freedom? Could you picture stepping into Monday without the old mask, the old myth, the old measuring stick?

This is where the Scripture meets us with bright clarity. Not a clouded hint, but a clear call. God does more than adjust us; He makes us new. Identity found in Christ is not fragile. It does not crumble when opinions change, when seasons shift, or when storms arrive. It stands because He stands. The world may shout, but the cross still speaks. And its word over you is “new.”

Let’s read the Word that welcomes us into this truth.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Prayer Father, thank You for the kindness that meets us where we are and the power that makes us new. Speak to our hearts by Your Spirit. Quiet the accusing voices, calm our anxious thoughts, and let the truth of Christ settle deep within. Help us to hear Your name over our lives—beloved, forgiven, adopted, new. Shape our thinking, steady our steps, and strengthen our faith so that we would live as the people You say we are. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Identity found in Christ alone

Paul uses a small phrase in the verse we read. He says “in Christ.” That little preposition matters. Think of it like a place. A real place for your soul. To be “in Christ” is to be tucked inside His life. His story becomes your covering. His record counts for you. His love circles you. This is more than a label. It is a bond the Spirit makes real. Faith is the open hand. Grace is the gift placed there. When God looks at you, He sees you joined to His Son. Your standing is held by Him. Your name is safe in His nail‑scarred hands.

This changes how you answer the deepest questions. Who am I? Where do I belong? Why do I matter? Inside Christ, those questions meet a steady answer. You are united to the One who cannot fail. You belong to the One who will never leave. You matter because He has set His heart on you. The ground under that does not shift with moods or headlines. It stays because He stays.

The verse also speaks of a new creation. That is strong language. It points back to the first page of Scripture. God spoke and a world came to be. He speaks again in the gospel, and a new person begins. This is not a fresh coat of paint. This is a fresh work of God. He makes life where there was no life. He brings light into places that felt dark. He lays a new foundation under an old house and then starts reworking every room.

This means you receive more than advice. You receive a new start that is God’s work, not your project plan. He gives a new heart that wants Him. He gives a clean record before Him. He gives a place in His family. The change starts at conversion and keeps moving. The Spirit keeps shaping. The Word keeps teaching. The gospel keeps lifting your eyes to Jesus.

Paul adds that what belonged to the old way has passed. That is a full word. Your past sins no longer carry the final word. The bill has been paid at the cross. The chains that once defined your choices have been cut. Temptation still knocks, but it does not own the house. Condemnation tries to speak up, but it has lost the judge’s gavel. You can learn a new walk because you have a new life.

Think of how this works day to day. You confess sin quickly because shame is not your home. You bring your fears to God because He welcomes you. You forgive because you have been forgiven much. You stop naming yourself by old failures because Christ has given you His name. This is practical. It touches how you speak to your kids. How you answer email. How you think when you cannot sleep.

The same verse says, “Look.” Something new has come. God wants you to notice it. So pay attention to small signs of life. A softer word where anger once ruled. A quiet prayer where worry once swelled. A desire to read Scripture where apathy once sat. These are signs of the Spirit at work. Work with Him. Feed the new life. Open your Bible. Pray with friends. Sit under the preached Word. Come to the Table. These are simple means. God uses them to grow what He has started.

All of this shapes how we see others. Paul says we no longer view people “according to the flesh.” That means we do not size people up by their past, by outward metrics, or by what they can do for us. If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. So we look for God’s work in them. We speak to the new life in them. We refuse to treat them like their worst day. We call out grace. We cheer growth. We carry each other when someone is weak.

This also shapes our purpose. In the same chapter Paul speaks about the ministry of reconciliation. People who are made new carry a message that makes others new. You have a word to speak. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. He now makes His appeal through your mouth and your life. You do not stand above people. You stand with them and point to Jesus. You knock on doors with hope. You show up with patience. You keep going because His love holds you.

This identity holds in hard times. Loss comes. Plans fall apart. The body aches. Friends misunderstand. In those moments you stay inside Christ. You remind your heart where you live. You preach to yourself, “My life is hidden with Christ in God.” You keep short accounts with Him. You bring tears. You wait. You trust that the One who made you new will also carry you through.

Let this sink in. You are not building a self from scraps. You are receiving a self from a Savior. The center of you is tied to Him. The past does not dictate the future. The future is tied to His faithful presence. So walk forward. Small step by small step. In Christ.

The world no longer defines who you are

So what does this mean on the ground? It means the world no longer defines who you are ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO