C.S.I.: CHRISTIAN SPIRITUAL IDENTITY
“Who are you?”
June 26, 2005
Intro: One of the greatest issues in life is determining who we really are in our attitudes, actions and character. We are often swayed by the crowd, influenced by society and pressured by the media to fit into the “social norm.”
How else do you explain the music and dress of the 1970’s?
(Begin music- Who Are You-By “The Who”)
One of the most popular shows in America today is C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation. It focuses on the inner workings of the Las Vegas crime labs as the try to solve crimes and uncover the truth.
Today, we are going to begin a study of our own C.S.I. We are going to begin looking today at the real truth of the Christian Spiritual Identity.
One of the fundamental questions of life is “Who Are You?” In other words, how am I identified and even more important, how do I see myself?
As followers of Christ we must look in the mirror and ask, “Who are you?”
There are some basic points that we must begin to understand as we look at the question of “Who Are You?”
We must begin to understand that God had some plans in mind for us.
“For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn with many brothers and sisters.”
Romans 8:29 (New Living Translation)
God’s purpose for our lives was to make us like Jesus.
“And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him (Jesus) and reflect his glory even more.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 (New Living Translation)
“Just as we are now like Adam, the man of earth, so we will someday be like Christ…”
1 Corinthians 15:49 (New Living Translation)
To be like Jesus is to…
Think like Jesus.
Feel like Jesus.
Act like Jesus.
Now for many of us, this seems impossible. We think we will never be able to do what Jesus has done. We regard ourselves as too weak, too human, or too messed up to be like Jesus.
The problem is we don’t see ourselves as God sees us. The apostle Paul addressed this issue with the Christians at the church at Ephesus.
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.” Ephesians 2:1-3 (NIV)
Paul begins by explaining to them who they used to be.
I. Our Old Identity
Paul begins helping them understand who they are now, by reminding them of who they used to be. The same thins that were true about them were also true about us today.
1) Dead in trespasses and sin.
All of us are guilty of sin. There is not a human being alive that has not done something that is in opposition to God’s design for our lives.
“All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.” Isaiah 53:6 (NLT)
We were all, at one time, dead to the most important factor in life—God.
2) Followed the ways of the world.
All human beings have made a decision to walk away from God and follow the disobedient one, Satan. We may have never made that choice consciously or out of desire to worship the “dark side,” but we walked away and followed the “disobedient one.”
The term “to follow” literally is translated walk.
We have made a decision, like sheep who have wandered away, to go in a particular direction.
You may have heard the story of Brennan Hawkins the 11 year old Boy Scout who wandered away from his camp this week. For four days he wandered in the mountains of Utah while rescuers searched for him. The reason they had a hard time finding him was that he walked in the opposite direction of where his searchers were going. As they searched going down the mountain, Brennan walked up. He was found on Tuesday by a searcher 600 feet higher and five miles farther away from the camp.
We all make choices about how we are going to live our lives and the direction we desire to take them.
3) Gratified the cravings of our sinful nature.
We simply did what ever felt good. When we live according to the sinful nature we don’t think about the right but only the right now. We feed our bodies and souls with the temporary desires that make us feel good.
Sin is all about a feeling.
“Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him.” 1 John 2:16 (The Message)
The passions lead us away from God and toward selfish desires.
It sounds pretty hopeless. We look and look for things to satisfy us but we never seem to find them.
Well, there is good news. You see that is our old identity before we met Christ. Our new identity after we have met Christ is much different.
II. Our New Identity
“…made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.”
Ephesians 2:5 (NIV)
Some truths about those who have chosen to follow Jesus.
1) We have been made alive.
We were dead in our trespasses and sin. Now, Jesus has made us alive through him.
You have been brought back from the dead!!! As a follower of Christ you are now a living spiritual creature.
What did Jesus do to the power that held us captive by sin at the cross?
“He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.” Colossians 2:15 (The Message)
Jesus Christ overcame the power that held us captive to sin on the cross.
Here’s the problem: We still think of our selves as we used to be.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, God no longer sees you as a sinner. God sees you as a saint.
There is never one time in scripture where any writer after Jesus calls Christians sinners.
Paul opens all of his letters to saints. He refers to followers of Christ as priests. Jesus himself said we were no longer slaves but friends.
The problem of too many Christians is we see ourselves in the past, not the present.
Let me give you an example. When I got married I married Alana Baker. For the last 15 years, she has called herself Alana Harvey. No one calls her Alana Baker.
But Christians constantly refer to themselves in the wrong sense.
How many of you have said or heard it said, “Well, I’m just a poor old sinner?” When you say that you are going by your maiden name!!!
You are a saint!!!
Turn to your neighbor and say, “I’m a Saint!!”
We must begin to turn the corner and realize that the Christian Spiritual Identity is that of a saint.
Jesus took what was dead in sin and made it alive. You have an entirely new identity. He didn’t just clean you up, he re-created you.
“When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven,”
Colossians 2:13 (The Message)
“Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 (God’s Word)
Why is this important?
1) God wants us to think like Christ.
2) God wants us to feel like Christ.
3) God wants us to act like Christ.
The first step in getting our spiritual identity squared away is understanding how God sees us and seeing ourselves that same way.
One of the biggest problems we have is that we tend to get caught in the rut of seeing ourselves as we were instead of how we are.
The reason we struggle so often is that we can’t forgive ourselves.
We see our old sin, we replay it over an over in our mind, and we think of ourselves that same way. That is not how God sees us and it is not how we should see ourselves.
Why did God do what he did?
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy” Ephesians 2:5 (NIV)
God chose to change us because of his love for us.
If God can forgive us, who are we to not forgive ourselves?
God loves us just the way we are, but he loves us too much to leave us that way.
“Christ died for us while we were still sinners. This demonstrates God’s love for us.” Romans 5:8 (God’s Word)
God wants to shape you into the image of Jesus. When we choose to follow him, he forgives our sin, gives us a new life, and a new identity.
As Christians, we are a friend of God. We are his children. We are his greatest joy.
So the question you must answer today is “Who are You?”
Application Steps:
1) Today, I need to be given a new identity in Christ.
Dear Lord,
I ask you to forgive me of my sins. Help me to live for you and to see myself as you see me. Amen.
If you asked Jesus into your life today, please mark your card so that I can contact you this week.
2) I need to begin seeing myself as God sees me.
Dear Lord,
Help me to see myself as you see me. Help me to forgive myself of my past. Help me to see myself as your child and your friend. Help me to live my life as a saint. Amen.
If this is you, and you would like to learn more about how God sees you, please mark on your card that you would like a meeting with me so we can discuss this issue in your life.
Write on your 3x5 card, in big capital letters “SAINT!!” and place it on your bathroom mirror or the dashboard of your car or by your computer to remind you of who you are in Jesus.
A great book for you to read is “The Bondage Breaker” by Neil Anderson.
Closing Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for creating new creatures of us. Thank you that we are no longer your enemies but saints. Help us to live our lives as such. We pray for the saints in other parts of the world today who are living I fear and threat of persecution. Please help them to know they are your children. As we worship you in giving now and respond to your word today, help us to be joyful and satisfied in our hearts. Amen.
