“ A Question of Identity”
Acts 21:37-22:21
July 20, 2008
Identity determines destiny.
Now, hold onto that thought; I fully recognize that some folks will interpret that statement differently than others. Some of us have seen our share of televangelists who jettison the Word of God and substitute in its place self-help programs, self-enrichment propaganda, self-fulfillment panaceas, and when I say, “identity determines destiny”, we get a little queasy, wondering if ole Harv is about to go off some deep end. Others of us have seen racial identity used as a tool to keep people down, or as a club to seek political gain. Still others have grown up in homes where, seemingly for kicks, a parent or some other adult has said, “you’re nobody; you’ll never amount to anything.” The sting of those lies may still haunt some of my hearers, and the last thing you want a preacher to do today is to remind you of how someone identified you, and so the words “identity determines destiny” scare you as inside you say silently, “don’t go there.”
But still, identity determines destiny. See, I’m not talking about some “power of positive thinking”, Oprah Osteen stuff. I’m talking about getting a Bible grip on what the Scripture says is true of you—and why it’s true of you, which is critically important. In our text today, Paul has an opportunity to tell his story, to identify himself to a howling mob intent on his execution.
Remember our story last week? Paul had finally made it to Jerusalem in time for the Feast of Pentecost, intent on delivering the offering collected from the Gentiles for the impoverished Christians in Jerusalem, an offering he was intent on delivering personally because of the solidarity it showed between Gentiles and Jews in Christ. All along the way, though, Paul had been warned, time and again, that what awaited him in Jerusalem was pain and imprisonment. But with laser focus on what Paul believed God had called him to do, he went forward. Sure enough, Paul was arrested by the Romans, more as a measure to save his life than for any wrongdoing on his part.
That’s where we pick up the story today. Note first a case of
I. Mistaken Identity – 21:37-38
Three years earlier a phony baloney Egyptian Jewish terrorist had appeared claiming to be a prophet. He’d attracted a substantial following and led his mob to the Mount of Olives in preparation for an overthrow of Jerusalem, only to be dispersed by the governor Felix and his soldiers. The tribune jumped to the conclusion that the reason the crowd was so incensed was because this impostor was back, and some people who’d been duped by him were incensed at his presence. This is why Paul’s educated Greek speech caught him off guard. Notice Paul begins speaking of his
II. Old Identity – 21:39-22:5
The first words of Paul’s old identity are given to the tribune, in order to clear up his identity with him. The tribune didn’t catch on to the fact that Paul was a citizen of Rome; Paul didn’t come out and say it, something he would do later. Not only was Paul a citizen of Rome, but a native of Tarsus, a city not only with great material wealth but one of intellectual distinction as well. The tribune granted Paul permission to speak, which he did in the vernacular of the people, the Aramaic idiom of Hebrew, and asking them to listen to his defense. The crowd, to its momentary credit and perhaps because Paul chose to speak in their heart language, did give its attention to the apostle.
The next words of Paul’s old identity are words of respect for his audience—an audience that had only moments earlier been trying to rip him limb from limb. He calls them, “brothers and fathers”. Paul begins his story by talking about the man that he had once been. He sets his conversion into the context of his identity as a Jew. He has been criticized for being an apostate Jew, one who has urged the renunciation of Jewish heritage and customs. This is not the case, and it’s important that he begin by placing himself squarely in the context of Judaism. To begin to establish his claim, he speaks of his birth, upbringing, and education, a triad of identity markers which firmly place him in the context of 1st-century Judaism. In Philippians 3:5, he describes himself as a “Hebrew of the Hebrews”, one who need not apologize to anyone as to his heritage. His education was quite impressive; his teacher had been Gamaliel, who was the most respected of Hebrew teachers.
The problem with these Jews (to whom Paul addressed this speech) is that they mixed a professed devotion to God with a strong patriotism and a clear prejudice against people who were not like them; i.e., Gentiles, whom they considered unclean.
And we call ourselves “Americans”, with, I suppose, an appropriate sense of patriotic pride. That’s all well and good, and I am thankful to God for allowing me the rare privilege of being born an American. There are a little over 300 million of us in a world approaching 7 billion, which means that the chance of being born somewhere besides the U.S. of A. is approximately 95%. I have little patience for those who complain about conditions in our country, for while we have our problems and issues, to be sure, and while we’re not perfect, it’d be foolish, at least at this point in our history, not to be thankful for all of the good things true of this nation.
But let’s also tackle this truth: our identity is not, cannot first be, that of our earthly citizenship. The allegiance which we pledge to our flag and the “republic for which it stands” pales in comparison to our allegiance to “His Kingdom and His righteousness”, which must be the first object of our affections and attention.
Paul didn’t just have the right lineage; he had appropriate zeal as well. He had been right in their shoes, persecuting Christians (“the Way” is the term he uses). He hadn’t been half-hearted in his commitment to Judiasm or to God; he had been enthusiastic in his defense of what he believed was true. There was no question that Paul had been proud of his Jewish heritage!
III. New Identity – 22:6-21
Here comes the turning point, though, the complete change in Paul’s identity: it comes in relation to a Person, Jesus Christ, for in Christ, Paul finds a new
A. Master – 22:6-10a
Then, Paul had a heavenly confrontation, he tells his audience. This was something Paul neither sought nor provoked, something “out of the blue” as Paul was headed resolutely in one direction. As we studied some months back, Paul recounts the familiar story of Jesus appearing in a blinding light to Paul; in an instant, Paul’s direction in life changed, on the basis of Paul’s identity: he became a Christ-follower!
We call to mind Paul’s words in Philippians 3:7-8: “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
Paul’s natural response to the confrontation, thinking again as a good Jew, was, “what do I do, Lord?” He understood that obedience was critical to faith. And his response set the course of his life!
B. Mandate – 22:10b-16
Note how Paul describes Ananias: “a devout man according to the Law”. Here’s a guy who is a strict Jew, yet who has also found Christ as his Messiah. He speaks in Jewish terminology as well, speaking of the “God of our fathers” and using the Messianic title for Christ, calling Him the “Righteous One”. The mandate Paul is given is done so in Jewish terms.
He gives Paul God’s mandate:
• Know God’s will
• See Christ
• Hear Christ’s voice
And the purpose for which these things happen to Paul is that he might be a witness of all he has seen and heard of Christ.
Ananias commands Paul to undergo baptism, the outward symbol of the inner change, the visible manifestation of cleansing from sin. Baptism is the always-appropriate outward symbol of inner transformation in Christ.
C. Mission – 22:17-21
Paul here references his return to Jerusalem some time later, three years after his conversion. It was his intent to be a witness right there in the city; he at that point didn’t understand that his mission was to be to Gentiles. But Paul attributes his change in life mission to another encounter with the risen Christ, in which Christ tells him clearly that Jerusalem is not the place where he will have fruitful ministry. Christ instead sends him to the Gentiles!
Interesting: Paul actually argues with Jesus here, suggesting that the incredible change that had taken place in his life, from one who persecuted Christians, notably the first martyr, Stephen, to one who now was one, would be compelling. But Jesus always knows best, doesn’t He?
The interesting thing is that the Jews valued the “light of God”, considered themselves to be its guardians, and were to be agents to give God’s light to the Gentiles. Isaiah 49:6 says, “I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” As far back as Genesis 12, when God is calling Abraham and promising him blessing, God says that through Abraham’s seed, all people on earth will be blessed.
God’s chosen people Israel had by and large rejected the light of Christ; Paul belonged to the minority of Jews who had received Him (John 1:11-12). But when Paul, the light-bearer, if you will, told them of his mission to Gentiles, the Jews still living in darkness rejected him. And though we’ll cover this next week, when we look at verse 22, we see that the Jews regain their voice and shout again for his death. Why wouldn’t they respond well to the reminder that God had called them to reach Gentiles and show them His light? It’s because Paul wasn’t making these Gentiles proselytes to Jewish faith, but rather teaching them that they could come directly to God in Christ without first becoming Jews and observing Jewish law and customs. What was Paul saying? It sounded like heresy to them, but like grace to us: Paul was saying that at the foot of the cross, the ground was level, that Jews had no special claim on God because of their heritage, that Jews and Gentiles were equal with respect to God, that both could come to God by way of the cross of Christ, or not at all. That message was offensive then, and it’s offensive now.
And it is that message of God’s grace revealed to us through Christ that is the change agent, the transforming power that completely reshapes our identities. And that’s where I want to focus the rest of our time together today, because the fact is that, for the Christ-follower, there must be parallels between the story of Paul and our own stories.
Paul’s Story/My Story
There is so much that could be said, and we have time this morning only to scratch the surface, as it were.
• An “Old Man”
Have you ever heard of the tragic condition known as “progeria”? Progeria is a disease of children in which they age at a rate 6-8 times normal. They look like old people, with frail little bodies, thin hair, and wrinkled skin. Most children with progeria do not live to be teenagers, dying of diseases that normally affect the elderly, heart attacks and strokes being the main culprits. Here’s the point: according to Scripture we are born, if you will, “old men”, because the chief characteristic of this “old man” is that he/she is identified by sin.
Romans 6 speaks of our “old man”, or our “old self”, the people that we are before an encounter with Jesus Christ. Now, we may be moral people, or people with severe ethical deficiencies. We may be upper crust or poor as dirt, educated or ignorant, proud of an ethnic heritage or basic homogenized melting pot American mutts. We may be, like Paul, zealous in our pursuits, and some of those pursuits, like those of Paul, might be noble; we may be lazy bums with little passion for anything at all, much less anything worthwhile. But we all have a history, and the chief characteristic of that history is that “all have sinned, and fall short of God’s glory.”
But that’s not the end of Paul’s story, nor of ours:
• Measured by the Master
Wake all the way up or go all the way to sleep: ever hear anybody say, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace”? We know what they’re saying, but I’d never suggest using that term. Why? Because the Bible never identifies me, as a follower of Christ, by my sin. My measure now is not my sin; it is my Master, Jesus Christ. What is true of me is true because of what God has done for me in Christ. See, when I say “identity is destiny”, I’m not talking about “thinking more of yourself”, or “lifting your self-esteem”, or any of that psychological stuff; I’m talking about your identity as a new creation in Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 5:17), not the “old man” gussied up or convinced that he’s “worth it” or “made it” or what-have-you. I am who I am in relation to Who He is and what He’s done for me! What does Paul say in I Corinthians 15:10? “By the grace of God I am what I am.” This church must be grace-oriented because we are grace-identified! Again, not nearly enough time to exhaust this subject today, but a few thoughts true of Paul and true of us. First, we are
o Fully forgiven
Here’s Ephesians 1:7-8a, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us.” You are fully, finally, forever forgiven in Christ of every last one of your sins past, present, and future. Period, end of story, over and out, Elvis has just left the building. You were at one time identified by your sin—in fact, Paul tells us in Ephesians 2 that we are dead in our sins, by nature—dead men walking, as it were. And yet now, in Jesus Christ, God wipes the slate entirely and completely clean. Forgiveness is full and free on the basis of God’s grace.
“But Pastor Byron, I don’t feel forgiven…” This is going to sound rude, maybe, but it’s for your own good: I don’t care how you feel. Now, there is a problem spiritually if you are living with shame. You may have some unconfessed sin in your life that is blocking fellowship with God. You may never have placed faith in Christ alone for the salvation of your soul, but instead be clinging to church attendance or church membership or good deeds done to your neighbor to try to demonstrate to God you’re a good person. If that’s the case, give it up; you are identified by sin. Shame and guilt indicate that something’s not right, but it might be that you don’t fully understand what God has done for you in Christ, the depth of His forgiveness, and if that’s the case, I want to reiterate again to you: His forgiveness is total.
Oh, and one other thing that fits here: you’ll hear folks say, “you’ve got to forgive yourself”. $1000 to the first person who finds that in the Bible! If it’s so important to “forgive yourself”, don’t you think God would have found a way to mention that in this Bible that is written to fully equip us to do every good work? No, don’t try to forgive yourself; you aren’t equipped for the job. What you must do is to accept the Bible truth that God, in Christ, has forgiven you: period. God says that; you doubting God? You think that your lack of “forgiving yourself” trumps God’s forgiveness of your sins? Come off it. You are forgiven in Jesus! Identity determines destiny; both your eternal and your earthly destiny is radically impacted by God’s declaration of forgiveness.
o Adopted into the family
“As many as received (Christ), to them (God) gave the power to become (His) children, to them that believe on (Jesus)” (John 1:12). Listen again to Paul’s words from Ephesians 1: “In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace…” My calling card, my identity, was “sin”; now, through Christ, I am a child of the Holy God of the universe.
o Set apart as a saint
Remember what I said earlier about being a “sinner saved by grace”? No…here’s the term that Paul uses over and over again to address us: “saint”. That means “holy” or “set apart” one. That’s my identity: I am a saint. Now I know that when some of us think of saints, we think of people with haloes on their heads or something; to think of “Saint Eddie” or “Saint Lois” or “Saint Chris” strikes us as a little weird, but the theological truth nonetheless is that we are identified by holiness, not sin. Again, that’s not some natural holiness that is latent within us, some “inner light” to which we have to tap in; remember, we are measured by the Master, not by what we have inside us. I blogged this week about a quote that popped up on Google, the “Quote of the Day”, and this guy said, “be faithful to that which exists within yourself”. And I thought, “boy, I hope not!” That which naturally exists within me, according to Paul, is “no good thing”. By nature, it’s true that “I’m no saint”, but in Christ, I am! Identity determines destiny, and I am called, as a holy one in God’s sight, to practically, daily, live a holy life.
• Commissioned by Christ
Paul received marching orders and mission from Jesus Christ, and that’s true of you and me as well now that we are in Christ. God doesn’t change our identity that we might be fat and happy in Him, but that we might become co-laborers with Christ in His mission of love and of sharing the life-giving news of the gospel with others. My identity, like Paul’s, is of one commissioned by Jesus; my destiny is thus to be a maker of disciples, bringing others to Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Paul stood before an angry mob and told his story, the story of the radical change in his identity when he came to Christ, the radical transformation of his destiny in the same way. Those of us who have become followers of Jesus find our stories paralleling Paul’s. What about you?
Table Talk
o What are some of the “lies that Christians believe” about themselves?
o What aspect of our identity in Christ is hardest for you to get your mind around? Why? And how might you be able to “get a grip” on that truth for your own life?
