A few years ago, when the new Volkswagen Beetle was introduced, one feature that received lots of attention was the claim to be burglarproof. Volkswagen bragged there was no way anybody could steal their car. To demonstrate their point, VW hired a highly skilled burglar and called a news conference. The thief was challenged to break into the car in front of the press.
With reporters watching, and camera’s rolling, the burglar looked at the car and circled it for about ten minutes without ever touching it. Then after looking it over from every angle, he went to the front of the car, and made one powerful kick to the bumper. In a split second, the airbags exploded, the locks popped up, and the doors flew open. (“The Executive Speechwriter Newsletter”)
If you ever had any doubts, let this story dispel them. In this world, nothing is totally secure. As Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:19-21)
This we know to be true of physical possessions, but what about our spiritual possessions? Sadly enough, many don’t realize the ever present threat to their souls. Your personal identity resides in your soul. As John Lawson once said, if your soul is stolen, that’s the ultimate “identity theft.” The most dangerous thief of all isn’t out to steal your worldly goods. After all, possessions can be replaced, but your soul cannot be replaced.
We hear, almost daily, about the threat of identity theft. According to the Federal Trade Commission, it accounts for 42% of all consumer fraud thefts in America – and it’s growing. The real tragedy with identity theft is that you may never even realize it’s happened to you until you receive bills for a credit card you never used. Identity theft can be very subtle in the beginning, and before you know it, you find yourself attempting to prove who you are.
If you think that’s scary, I’ll go you one better. It’s called “Spiritual Identity Theft,” and that pesky python from Paradise seeks to perpetrate it on you daily. Matter of fact, it’s been going on since the beginning of Human Kind. But who would want to steal your soul? Obviously, Satan would. In 1st Peter we read, “Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (5:8) He seeks to devour your soul – your likeness to Christ. He wants to derail you from becoming “like Christ” which is the essence of Christianity – to be “Christ-like.”
The religious experience of the earliest Christians was derived from and dependent upon Christ. Christian experience is more than an imitation of the life and teaching of Jesus. It’s what we experience of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the believer’s heart. The writings of both John and Paul refer to this reality by emphasizing the inclusive and corporate personality of Christ.
Paul, for instance, expresses the personal identification with the work of Christ by his use of the term – “in Christ.” The Greek word is “KREE-O” (÷ñßù). It’s akin to being “anointed” or “consecrated.” It appears to be Paul’s favorite term to describe the personal and dynamic relationship of the believer with Jesus Christ, and it appears in a variety of contexts. The word “KREE-O” is found: • 8 – times in Galatians • 34 – times in Ephesians and • 18 – times in Colossians.
Theologians call this, “Identification with Christ.” It means God has acted in such a way that our identity has become inseparable for that of our Lord. Therefore, as far as God is concerned, what is true of Jesus’ standing has become true of us.
Did Jesus die? Then so did I. Did Jesus rise from the dead? Then I, too, will rise from the dead. Did Jesus ascend to the Father in heaven? Then according to my identification with Christ, I too will ascend to heaven and take my seat by the throne of God!
This may sound like wishful thinking by boastful Christians, but in fact, it’s really faith in God’s promise. That promise is expressly stated in Ephesians 2:5-6, “. . . and even when we were dead in our sin and transgressions (GOD) made us alive together with Christ . . . and raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ.”
Of course we have not become the creators of the world, nor will we become deities, but the areas where we are identified with Christ go much farther than most would think. Union with Christ is the result of an act of divine grace, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Baptized into Christ, the Believer is incorporated into the body of Christ. This new position “In Christ” is the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to his disciples in John 14:20 - “. . . on that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” If you’ve ever wondered what that passage means, well, there it is. Christ is in the Father, and we are in Christ.
• We belong to the “Community of Christ.” As a result, when we are “In Christ,” not only are we related to Christ, but we also “Look Like Christ.” It’s the Spirit of Christ which dwells within us that God wants reflecting back in the mirror. Unfortunately, we often try NOT to look like Jesus. Too often we try to assimilate with the society around us – the same society that God says He “does not know.” This is why Jesus warned His disciples in today’s text – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
We all know who the thief is. The thief takes aim at each of us today. His design is to steal your identity. He will lie to you; deceive you; turn you against one another; and blind you to the truth about yourselves and about God.
An employee of a department store once told this story. He was working as a store clerk in Sporting Goods one day when a manager came in. She proceeded to tell each employee what they were doing wrong and how they should change. The next day she came in again and was upset that none of her instructions had been implemented. So, she repeated her instructions but this time insisted that they make the changes. When she returned the third day she was furious. They had not followed any of her directions. “Why are you ignoring my instructions?!” she demanded.
“Well,” one employee said shyly, “maybe it’s because you’re in the wrong department. You manage Housewares.”
There’s an alarming number of professing Christians who really don’t know where God has called them to be, or what God has called them to do. That, by the way, suits the devil just fine. If he can keep you from discovering God’s plan for your life, then he’s scored a great victory for his side. He’s stolen an important part of your identity – your identity of where God wants you to be and what God wants you to do. Jesus said that the devil wants to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to keep you from building anything that will glorify God. Jesus, however, proclaims, “. . . I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” In Christ, the answer is always . . . “Yes!”
There are so many in the Church who are searching for their stolen identity. The search is one that we all go through at some point in our life.
• It’s not until we’re able to see ourselves “in need of Christ” that we’re willing to surrender to God – and allow the Him to take control. It’s like that old adage: “If God is your co-pilot, it’s time to change seats.”
There are so many people searching for their identity. Have you been to Borders lately? Have you noticed all the Self Help books and tapes like, “10 Steps to Success”, all the t.v. shows with people turning to Dr. Phil – Dr. Ruth – Dr. Laura – Dr. Brothers – Dr. Pepper – don’t drink the Kool Aid!
Satan, and even our own natures, are in rebellion against Christ and His Saints. A multitude of temptations and distractions are present in the world, and they are also found within the Church. Unless we are vigilant, they will steal our Divine Identity “in Christ.” In today’s Scripture reading, Jesus used the analogy of the sheep and the shepherd. He described,
“Three characteristics of His sheep”:
(1) They know His voice (v. 4). Romans 8:29 reinforces this: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Have you figured that out, yet? Well, let me explain it this way. When you’re walking with Jesus Christ in your heart, you’ll hear him when he tells you which way to go and what to do. If you’re not hearing him . . . pray . . . and above all . . . surrender. Do not think highly of yourself or others. Think only of Christ and how to imitate Him.
(2) They follow Him. The Shepherd and the sheep is a metaphor for the faith of believers. Jesus also compared himself with “living water” in John 4:14: “. . . whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty;” and with the “bread of life” in 6:50, 51, “This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.”
When sheep follow the shepherd, they don’t ask him what’s in it for them. They don’t ask him where he’s taking them. They simply follow him and are confident that His destination is supremely better than any they might choose for themselves. And thirdly:
(3) They shall never perish. The eternal life of the faithful can never be taken away. The Father’s hand is more powerful than that of any enemy.
I recently read an example from nature that may help to understand the thief’s strategy to destroy Christian identities. As you know, the Oyster is a two-pieced shell fish. Its major predator is the Starfish. The one muscle in the Oyster is much stronger than any muscle of the Starfish. The Starfish, however, has five weaker muscles.
The Starfish uses its five weaker muscles alternately to exert and rest, exert and rest as each takes turns prying the Oyster’s shell. While the Oyster is much stronger – at first – the constant stresses eventually wear it down. In time, the Oyster is exhausted and unable to hold its shell closed. It’s a struggle of attrition.
In like manner, the constant pressure from temptations, the world, and the devil always seeks to drag us down into attitudes thinking, and acting that bear no resemblance to Christ. Who can withstand such unrelenting stress?
Just like the seduction of Adam and Eve – the devil hasn’t changed his strategy. Eve must have seen that delicious-looking fruit many times. As she drew near to the tree, she may have thought it smelled good. Then she touched it and plucked it from the limb just to see how it felt. Finally, she tasted it. What appeared at first to be a harmless act led to their downfall.
Don’t be deceived into thinking you’re clever enough to avoid the consequences of sin. Consider the night clerk at a convenience store in Kansas City, Missouri who put tape over the store’s security cameras. He then removed the money from the cash register, and stashed it in a trash bin.
When ready, he removed the tape from the camera and called the police. He claimed he’d been robbed. It didn’t take long, however, for the police to discover the clerk was lying. The tape he used on the security cameras was transparent masking tape.
Each of us have areas of our lives – like locked closets and basement rooms – that we wish were more Christ-like. Maybe no one else sees them, but God knows they’re there and so do we. Fortunately, we don’t have to live with them. We can be rid of them – with God’s help – in the cleansing blood of Christ.
God’s plan for us is that we should be, “. . . transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (II Cor. 3:18) He doesn’t expect us to do it alone. For that reason, He’s given us His Holy Spirit and a family, the Body of Christ . . . that’s you and me . . . to help us in the struggles of this life. Sometimes seemingly casual remarks by other Christians are actually insights from God that He wants us to hear. There’s no end to the power God wants to exhibit in our lives.
1 John 3:8 declares, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” In John 19:30, Jesus’ final words were, (ôåëÝù) tel•eh•o, “It is finished.” In other words, “It is done;” “It is completed.” He broke the power of sin and death forever.
We have God’s promise of an Abundant Life with Christ that was established long ago. When we are “in Christ,” that life is “in us.”
Please join with me in prayer: Heavenly Father, examine our hearts and our lives and fill us with the power of Your Holy Spirit. Transform us, we pray, into the image of Your Son Jesus Christ that we may reflect His love and authority now and forever. Amen
(This sermon was inspired and influenced by a sermon by John Lawson titled “Identity Theft” 4/4/06; “Sermon Central.com”)
