This message is an adption of one from Vince Antonucci - he wrote the book and has loaned this series out - I preach shorter than he does, so I had to adapt his quite a bit...
Today we start this new series at Phoenix based on a book by a guy named Vince. In fact, we are doing the same series that they did a few weeks ago - and it’s all about trying to live life (this thing we call a Christian life) to the fullest... Jesus says in John 10:10 “I came so that you could have life and life in abundance” - but if most of us are honest - we don’t always feel that way. It’s like when our parents go on a great vacation to the bahamas and all we get is the T-shirt. They did all these amazing things, saw incredible sights, lived to the full - but all we got was a t-shirt. Well, I don’t want my life to be like that. I want to experience all that God has to give me - I don’t want just the t-shirt - I want the whole enchilada.
So tonight we are talking about our identity. Who are you? Who are you really? ...and do you like what you see? Are you happy with who you’ve become? Your identity is pretty important in deciding what kind of a person you are - but did you know that God says, as a Christian you have a new identity. There’s a verse in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that says, “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creature, the old is gone, new has come.” That sounds simple right? We become a Christian we get a new identity - but it’s really not that simple. Our old identity is hard to shake...
I want us to watch a clip from Ice Age 2: the Meltdown - and meet Ellie - she’s a Mammoth that thinks she’s a possum. Manny has been searching for another mammoth - he thinks he’s the only one left, but when he finds Ellie, he begins to realize that her identity is a little out of whack. (Role Clip of Ellie’s introduction)
Can you imagine all that Ellie has gone through, trying to live out this false identity? In the story of the movie, everyone is fleeing because of this cataclysmic event. She joins Manny on this journey, and as hard as he tries to convince her she’s a mammoth he can’t, but something triggers her memory. She remembers that as a baby she was orphaned and raised by possums. It all begins to come into focus and she starts to live as a mammoth, but it’s not easy living this new life... But the only way for her to find love - big hairy mammoth love - is to drop that old identity and embrace and live in the new identity.
Where do you get your identity? Did you know that your identity is formed pretty early - messages that you hear often and early are messages that become the script for your life. If you hear, “you’re ugly, you are a nobody, you can’t do that” chances are you will grow up to become someone who thinks that they are ugly, are a nobody and can’t do anything. The opposite is also true. You can have so much positive reinforcement - so much positive self image that you can try to do things that you are no good at, but you believe you are... I think that’s what happens with American Idol tryouts - all these people have been told, “you are good, you sing great,” but then it takes Simon, Paula and Randy to say,” dude, you really stink.” Yet how many of those people storm out saying, you are wrong... I’m a possum, not a mammoth!
If we are honest too, many of us realize that our identity - some of the issues with our life - are our own fault. We all make mistakes, but often, we love to repeat them. The Bible talks about the fact that we are made by God and made in his image, but we’ve been marred or flawed by our own junk - our own sin. The good news is that God is willing to repair and restore you back to health. Jesus came so that we could experience life and peace that comes from a relationship with God. Jesus dies on the cross to restore - the relationship - our sin was covered...
It’s a great trade. God says that if you will give up your sin and trying to live for yourself, then he will trade you a new life...
But what about those of you who bought that - you did the trade - but you are still living out that old script - that old identity. Jesus says, “I made you new” but you say “I still feel like a possum...”
There’s a passage I want us to look at in Colossians 3: 1-3, 5-10, 12 (by the way if you need a Bible, we have some out in the foyer, just take one, and if you can’t find Colossians, there’s a index in the first couple of pages of every Bible that shows you what page Colossians in on) The Apostle Paul says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Then look at verses 5-10 “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” And finally check out verse 12 ”Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
Did you catch that, he’s saying you now have this new identity, and you need to start focusing on God’s stuff - but to do that you’ll have to learn some stuff and unlearn some stuff... Like Ellie you have to begin to learn that you weren’t made to climb trees and hang from your tail - the cool thing is that when you begin to learn the new stuff and you begin to walk in this new identity, you find out that it all works much better. It all makes much more sense... I’m not saying it’s easy - but I am saying it’s a journey worth taking!
So what about you? Maybe you’ve been feeling cheated by God - “I expected life to be this way, but all I got was this lousy T-shirt” Maybe you need to look closer...deeper. Are you living out your identity in Christ? Or are you really just living that old script?
You know it’s possible that for you - you need a totally new identity. It’s possible that you have never accepted God’s offer for a new life. Maybe today what you would say, is Charles, I want to start a new journey. I need a new start. I am ready... If that’s you, I’ll be hanging around after we’re done tonight. Come up and say something to me and let’s talk about it...
