Who Are You?
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Today I’d like to begin with you this journey of change we started last week, this transformation that God has called us to make through the renewing of our minds, or as the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 2:5, “Let this mindbe in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” And today we’ll do so by looking at who we are in Christ.
So, I’d like to begin by asking you a couple of questions, starting with, how are you really doing? Did you dread getting out of bed this morning? Are you irritated because things just aren’t going as planned? Are you facing unreasonable demands? Is there ongoing tension in your relationships? Did the news cheer you up this week, or scare the heebie-jeebies out of you? Are you simply tired of the same old routine?
If any of these hit home, or if I’ve missed what you are feeling and going through, let me give you this piece of information, which really isn’t designed to make you feel better, but here it goes, “You are not alone.”
In fact, the Bible states, “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. Not only that but we ourselves who have the Spirit … also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:22-23)
All of creation groans, that is everything and everybody, or better yet, you and me, are groaning in our longing for redemption. And as I found out for myself, the older I get the more these groanings become.
And so, as we enter today’s teaching about who we are, I’d like to play a short clip to get us in the mood thinking about this question.
PLAY Alice in Wonderland clip.
At the caterpillar’s continued questioning of “Who R U,” Alice states what I believe most people say at these times, and that is, “Everything is so confusing.”
Who are We?
Our problem is that when people ask us who we are our first response usually is what we do. For me, I’m a pastor and author. But if that is stripped away, who am I?
We then tend to identify as to our relational status, like I’m a husband, father, grandfather (papi). But if that is stripped away, who am I?
That brings me to my ethnicity. I am an old balding white male, with a paunch. But if that is stripped away, (which I’ve been praying for as far as the paunch is concerned!!!), who am I?
At this point we will identify as to what we believe, and for me, I’m a Christian. But why would I list that last? If I truly believe in Jesus Christ, that should be my overriding identity. I am a believer in Jesus Christ who is also a husband, father, grandfather, pastor, and yes, an old balding white male with a paunch.
Our identity, who we see ourselves as being when we answer the question, “Who am I,” is tied to whatever we give our heart too. Knowing this, and that we are Christians, and what that means, it will change us, which is at the heart of my vision for this year, which for me it’s going to be a year of change. And I am going to allow the Lord to not only define me, but to change me as well.
Unfortunately, however, there is another definition that we tend define ourselves and others by. And that is we tend to define ourselves and others by our problems.
Since we’ve just finished Christmas last month, the story of Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist comes to mind. Elizabeth was defined by her condition, “Her who was called barren.” (Luke 1:36 KJV)
Everywhere she went people would point and call her “barren.” And she may have even started to take on this identification. (“I’m Elizabeth, I’m who they call barren.”) But God saw her differently. God saw her as a mighty woman of faith and the mother of one of His most mighty prophets, John the Baptist.
Now, this is NOT an escapism from reality teaching, because we live in a world that is filled with bad stuff. We live in a sin filled world that has worked its damage in just about everyone’s life. Elizabeth was indeed barren, and it’s not like she was ever promised that she would give birth to a great prophet, but that she was barren. Just like there are many who today live with physical and emotional issues, sicknesses, and illnesses, that they have not been and may not be delivered from.
But what I want to focus upon is that while these things are a reality in our lives, there is another reality, and that is who we are in Christ, and what our relationship with God really entails. Yes, there are a lot of things wrong with me, and yes, I accept them as best I can, and I pray for release and healing. But the opposite is that there is a greater reality in my life, and a greater reality in your life, and that is our relationship with God and what He calls us.
God never calls us by our problem or condition. Instead, He has a new and better name for us. We shouldn’t believe and live our lives based upon the world’s definition of who we are, and I’m not saying that these things don’t exist in our lives. But instead, we must live our lives based upon who we are in Christ, and no longer who we are in the world.
Rather than living our lives based on our shortcomings and inabilities, let’s live this new life based upon what Jesus did for us at the cross setting us free from sin and death. And so, who are we? We are sons and daughters of the Most High God, that’s who we are, and as such we are partakers of His wonderful promise of an abundant life now, and in the future, an eternal life with Him in heaven.
Now, while it’s good to be all the things we mentioned above, like being a spouse, single, parent, or by our occupation, or even by our ethnicity, there is nothing wrong with being any of that, but they’re nothing next to being a child of God. The whole core of our identity is not what we have achieved, or what other people think. The core of our identity is tied up in who we are in God and that is, children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
We are children of God, wonderfully made, dearly loved, and precious in His sight.
How do we, or better yet, how do you want to be defined, by your problems, or by God’s promise?
As Christians, we are children of God!
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13 NKJV)
When we received Him and believed in His name, the Lord empowers us to become His children. How can we not be astonished by this truth? How can we not bow before Him in worship?
The gravity of this revelation should dictate every area of our lives: how we walk, talk, work, what we enjoy, and how we love others. And so today, if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, embrace and enjoy the truth that you are a child of God, that you are His child.
When we confess our sins and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, at that moment we are born again, born into the family of God, where we become children of God and co-heirs with Christ of everything in God’s kingdom for all eternity.
Therefore, as Christians, we are Children of God, but what does that look like?
Created by God
We are created by God. God designed us uniquely, therefore we’re not mistakes, because God doesn’t have accidents. (So, here is the takeaway from this first point.)
We’ve Been Created ? We Are Not Mistakes
Mistakes are part of our lives. Mistakes will happen! Some people will make more mistakes than others, but we are all guilty of making mistakes. As funny as some mistakes may be, there is something that is never a mistake and that something is “you!”
I remember in Junior High School, I took shop. Now, I have absolutely no talent in the field of carpentry. Our class assignment was to make a stepping stool. A top, and two sturdy legs on both sides. But somehow, I missed the part where it was supposed to be level.
It was really sad, others laughed, but you know what, I never threw it away. I kept it for years, and I’d probably have it today if it didn’t get lost in all the moves that I had to make. It wasn’t good for anything as the world could see, but it was valuable to me.
And the same goes for us. Rick Warren said, “Your birth was no mistake or mishap, and your life is no fluke of nature. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did.”
Long before you were conceived by your parents, you were conceived in the mind of God. That is, you were on God’s mind before creation itself. There is no mistake, it is not by accident, nor coincidence that you are here.
To Jeremiah, the Lord said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV)
From the very beginning, God set us apart and made us special. Before we were even born, before we were even conceived, before we were even a gleam in our parents’ eyes, God knew us and set us apart for His glory and good work. This is what “sanctified” means. It’s the Hebrew word for something or someone that’s holy, dedicated, consecrated, and separated by God for God and His use and purpose.
God created us specially for Himself, and because He did, He’s saying we have great worth to Him.
King David understood this worth and praised God for this truth. “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works.” (Psalms 139:14 NKJV)
God says we are special and no accident; but there’s more. We have been on His mind for a long time, even before the creation of the world.
David went on to say, “You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!” (Psalm 139:16 NKJV)
Therefore, none of us are accidents. No matter how our births came about, even if it was a mistake in human terms, it was not a surprise to God, therefore you are not a mistake. He planned you long before you were born. Not only did He know you were going to be born but He also knew where You would be born and who your parents would be, and even how long you will live.
Our lives were perfectly planned to fulfill His purposes. Now that I realize this, that God is the one responsible for my life, therefore I am accountable to God to make Him the focus of my life so that through Him and in Him I can discover life’s meaning and purpose. Hopefully you will see this for your life and then allow God to do that change, that transformative work in you.~
God Redeemed Us
God redeemed us through the blood Jesus shed upon the cross and thus we have been forgiven, for without the shedding of blood, the Bible says, there is no forgiveness of sin. (So, here is the takeaway from this second point.)
God Redeemed Us ? We Are Wanted
God stated in the Mosaic Law that the people were not to eat blood, saying, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” (Leviticus 17:11 NKJV)
Quoting the law as it refers to the shed blood of Jesus upon the cross, the writer of Hebrews said, “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22 NKJV)
And because Jesus died and shed His blood for every one of us, we know that we are wanted by God, not as sinners, but as children.
Jesus died for us. Jesus, God’s Son, the second person of the Godhead, died for us, so that we can be forgiven.
This is what it means to be redeemed. Therefore, we don’t need to live in misery because of our sin. We don’t have to undergo penance, that is some sort of self-punishment, or to recompense God, that is, to pay God back through good deeds.
Because of bad choices people make, they try to find redemption through these and many other methods, and it becomes the driving force behind their decisions and purpose. But what many have failed to realize, even Christians, unfortunately, is that Jesus satisfied our debt and redeemed us.
You see, Redemption Means, “A buying back, a release from sin.” In the original Latin, it means, “To buy back,” such as at a pawn shop when you buy back your property. We are God’s property and through Jesus’s death, God redeemed us, He bought us and brought us back, where Satan, sin, and death no longer have a hold on our lives.
Now let’s consider how valuable we are because we have been redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Maybe think about it this way. Someone said, “If we subtract our liabilities from our assets, we might be worth a hundred dollars, or less than nothing.” Taking it one step further, our bodies contain trace amounts of minerals that’s worth just $1.00. So, at our death we’re really only worth $1.00.
However, we can buy life insurance that if we die our value can be as high as 2 million dollars. I had a policy over 40 years ago that said if I died my family could get a million dollars. Before I knew the Lord, once I had this insurance, I went through a time of deep depression, and I thought, “I’m worth more dead than alive.” Maybe some of you are thinking this way today.
But consider now the value that God places upon us. God values us, values you, so much that He sent His Son to die to get us back with Him, that is, to redeem us. And since the blood of Jesus is of infinite value, that is how much you are worth to God.
The Bible gives us this description of what Jesus did in redeeming us.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Romans 5:8-10 NKJV)
The Apostle Paul also said in his letter to the Galatian church, “Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Galatians 1:3-5 NKJV)
Our deliverance from being alienated from God was finished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 4:25).
With the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have been redeemed. We do not have to work or atone for our sins. Jesus makes that clear when from the cross He said, “It is finished.”
And here’s the point, identifying as a “sinner” is no longer who we are. We are children of God, and therefore we no longer need to carry the shame.
Blind since infancy and known as the “Queen of Gospel Song Writers” as well as being the first woman to address the United States Senate, Fanny Crosby, who was also a mission worker, poet, and lyricist, penned these words.
“Redeemed how I love to proclaim it, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Redeemed through His infinite mercy. His child and forever I am.” (Fanny Crosby)
God Chose Us
God picked every one of us, so we are chosen. And since He died for everyone, He specifically chose you. (So, here is the takeaway from this last point.)
God Picked Us ? We Are Chosen
In Ephesians 1:4-5 it says that God chose us in Himself before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him, and in love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will.
Now, this is not to get into the who predestination debate, which has been going on for hundreds of years, but let me give to you a verse that has helped me understand this.
“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:29 NKJV)
Look at the order, God foreknew us first, then He predestined us. God knew us before He predestined us. That is, He knew our decision even before we made that decision.
And God chooses us for Himself when we make Jesus our number one, that is, our Savior and our Lord.
God’s choice of us occurred before time and creation, emphasizing that this choice was based on God’s sovereign purpose and grace, not because of what we do or our good works. Therefore, the appropriate response is to praise God for such blessing.
Remember King David’s words. “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works.” (Psalms 139:14 NKJV)
And it is for God’s very own Kingdom purpose that He created us. Remember the Lord’s prayer Jesus taught to the disciples, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10 NKJV)
And so, for His kingdom purposes God chose us to be His children, and as His children we are a part of His family and thus receive all the accompanying benefits, because we are heirs with Christ.
Conclusion
Let me just say that the reason God created, redeemed, and chose us is because He loves us.
We are loved by God and saved by His grace. God showed us grace and mercy so that we could be saved and live with Him for all eternity.
God loves us, so we can have a future and a hope for our lives.
He said, “‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,’ says the Lord, ‘thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.’” (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV)
It is in God’s great love for us that He takes the initiative to make us His children.
This extravagant outpouring of our heavenly Father’s love even made the apostle John marvel. He said, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1 NIV)
Salvation in Christ is pictured not only as a rebirth but also as an adoption. God decided in advance to adopt us into His family by bringing us to Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gaveHim great pleasure to do so. So, we praise God for the glorious grace He has poured out on us.
The term “adoption” is used by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesian church. It is used in referring to those God adopted into His family as His children.
Now, note just who He adopted which is a perfect description of who we once were. And this reveals just how much God loves us.
Those who were once “sons of disobedience” and “children of wrath.” But now we’re able to call God, “Father.” And that is because of this intimate relationship we have with Him which is possible only through Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 2:2-5)
Young or old, those who by faith accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord are God’s children. Look at what God told the children of Israel, and then by extension, I believe He is saying this to us, as His children.
“Who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the womb: even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.” (Isaiah 46:3-4 NKJV)
Our identity as children of God is hidden in Jesus Christ. We are no longer orphans or slaves, but sons and daughters of the Most High God. We have a good Father, our Heavenly Father, who loves us and will care for us and supply our needs for all eternity.
Our purpose now, as the children of God, is to let this truth seep into our soul and spirit, so that we can change, so that we can be transformed, and then develop into what God created for us to be. And that is too grow up and utilize our full potential for His kingdom’s sake.
Therefore, let me quote last week’s defining verse for transformation, and that is, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5 NKJV)
And to complete this change that God desires from us, there is one more thing I believe we need to know and understand, and that is that we are now betrothed to God, and are now the bride of Christ. So, next week we’ll look at the betrothal process in the message, “Betrothed to God.”
