LEARNING MY TRUE IDENTITY IN CHRIST
Born Identity—Part 3
1 Peter 2:9-10
Introduction
About eight years ago in Georgia a man with no identification was found beaten, naked
and unconscious behind a Burger King. He eventually regained consciousness, but
when they took him to the hospital he had developed total amnesia. For the past eight
years, no one has known who he is. Can you imagine that?
The FBI did fingerprints and DNA testing on him. They couldn’t figure out who he was.
Dr. Phil did a national TV show on him and nobody claimed him. Dr. Phil actually hired
a private investigator to find the man’s identity. But he couldn’t discover it. Kathleen, a
woman who was his nurse, took him into her home and for the last eight years has been
trying to restore his memory. But to date nobody knows who he is and he doesn’t know
who he is.
Imagine if that were you. Just imagine that you came to church to Summit today and
you know who you are. You know your family and your friends. You know your past
and you know your present. You have plans for the future. But something traumatic
happens tonight and when you wake up you have no more recollection of your identity.
No past, no present, no friends, no connections. Your entire identity is gone. That
would be a very scary thing to have no idea of who you are.
But that’s exactly what Satan is trying to do to your true identity as a Christ follower.
He’s trying to erase it. You may not even realize this. But there’s a spiritual war going
on over your identity. Satan knows that if he can keep you from being who God made
you to be, if he can twist or distort your true identity then he’s won a major victory.
You may be wondering how Satan does this. How does Satan keep us from knowing
our true identity as Christ followers? Well, he uses many different tools. One of the
tools he uses is the opinions of other people. Our parents said things about us. Our
peers have said things about us. Our partners have said things about us. Some things
they said were true; some were not true. But they were all trying to mold us into their
image. People all our life have been trying to get us to be what they want us to be, not
what God wants us to be. And Satan uses the opinions of others to keep us from
becoming who God designed us to be.
Satan also uses the hurt and pain in our life to deceive us and to disguise our true
identity. Because if he can get us resentful, if he can get us bitter, if he can get us
angry, or ashamed, he knows we’re going to miss our true identity.
Satan also uses the media and culture. All around us there are messages constantly
bombarding us saying, “Why can’t we be more like that person? We should dress like
them. We should look like them.” When we go down that road we forget about being
the person God created us to be and we try to be someone completely different.
But the number one tool Satan uses to obscure our true identity as Christ followers is to
get us to repeat what he’s told us. You see, Satan will plant an idea in our mind, a
seed, and he doesn’t have to mention it ever again. But many times we just repeat it
over and over because we heard it and we believed it: “I’m worthless, I’m no good, I’m
never going to amount to anything, I can’t, I shouldn’t, I’m ashamed.” With these
thoughts Satan doesn’t have to mess with us much because after he puts the idea in
our mind we just keep repeating it until it becomes part of our identity. So we end up
saying things like, “It’s just like me to be this way or that way.” And the lie becomes part
of our identity and we miss out on being who God wants us to be.
So with all these forces battling to make us forget who we really are as Christ followers
how do we know our true identity? How do we know who God created us to be? Well,
for those of us who have accepted Christ, our new identity is wrapped up in one short
phrase: “in Christ.” The phrase “in Christ” is used about 140 times in the Bible. It’s the
most frequently used phrase to describe a disciple, a believer, somebody who is in the
family of God. The word “Christian” is only used a couple times in the Bible. Instead of
the word Christian the Bible says we are “in Christ.”
And when we are “in Christ” the Bible teaches that we’re given a brand new identity.
Today I want to focus on five things that are true about this new identity. When I got my
license to marry people in Nevada they took fingerprints from all five fingers on my
hands. In the same way that each of our five fingers has a unique fingerprint each of
these five points describe something unique about our new identity in Christ. These five
fingerprints of our true identity are found in 1 Peter 2:9-10. (Read)
I want you to circle five identity markers of our life when we are in Christ. First, you’re
“chosen.” Circle that. You’re a chosen people. Second, you’re “God’s special
possession.” Circle that phrase. Third, “you are the people of God.” Circle that. Fourth,
“you have received God’s mercy.” Circle that phrase. Finally, the fifth thing is back up in
verse 9: you are “a royal priesthood.” Please circle that.
I want us to consider of each of these because they’re packed with significance about
who God created us to be as Christ followers. I want to begin with Peter’s statement
that we are a “chosen people.” Since we are a chosen people this means that as a
Christ follower…
1. I am completely accepted.
In Christ, I am completely accepted. This is vital to know because we all have wounds
and we all have struggles. Some of the deepest wounds in our lives come from
rejection. We’ve all been rejected at some point—some of us more, some of us less.
Maybe we’ve been rejected in our families, or in our office, or in a school situation.
Maybe you’ve been rejected by a friend or somebody you loved.
That rejection causes a wound and then we try to recover from the wound by trying to
find renewed acceptance. But sometimes we chase after it in the wrong places. So we
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look for acceptance from our parents or we try to find it from friends or from somewhere
else. And this search for acceptance starts to influence every part of our lives.
For example, for some of us our desire to be accepted affects the clothes we wear. We
wear certain things so that people around us will accept us more. This may sound silly,
but a few years ago I stopped wearing Hawaiian shirts because someone told me that
everyone who wears Hawaiian shirts is over 50 years old. I still like the shirts but I
stopped wearing them because I didn’t want to look “old.” Isn’t that ridiculous? Our drive
for acceptance can influence the car we drive, it can influence the house we buy, and it
can even influence the career that we end up choosing.
Some of you may be in the wrong career because you made your career decision to be
accepted by someone you love and now you hate what you’re doing. So this drive for
acceptance has all kinds of implications. Well, I’ve got some good news for you. If
you’re a Christ follower you don’t have to chase after acceptance from other people.
Because God has already accepted you completely! 1 Peter 2:9 says “You are a
chosen people…” This is where we start. This is the truth about us. This is our identity
as Christ followers. I don’t care if you “feel accepted” right now or not, but in Christ this
is the truth about us. This is our first fingerprint as Christians. We can count on the fact
that we have been chosen by God. He wants us and he completely accepts us.
So the first fingerprint of our new identity is: I am completely accepted. Years ago when
I first became a Christian church services would often end with an invitation. One of the
songs we used during the invitation was called “Just as I am.” I think the song had about
fifty different verses and we would keep singing until someone finally walked down the
aisle to make a profession of faith. But the whole point of “Just as I am” is that God
accepts us just the way we are—warts and all. This is our first fingerprint as God’s child:
I am completely accepted. The second fingerprint is…
2. I am extremely valuable.
This is even better than acceptance. We all want to be accepted. But we want more
than acceptance. We want to be valued. So God says to us I don’t just accept you; I
value you. You’re not only completely accepted; you’re also extremely valuable. In fact,
when you are in Christ you are priceless. Peter’s second description of your identity is
this. He says you are “God’s special possession.” You might circle that phrase. It
means you are extremely valuable.
So what is it that makes something valuable? There are a couple of things. The first
thing that makes something valuable is who owns it. Things that are owned by famous
people are more valuable than things that are not owned by famous people. If you saw
basketball shoes for sale in a used clothing store and one pair said “these were Steve
Bond’s shoes” and another said, “these were LeBron James’ shoes,” you’re going to
want LeBron James’ shoes…they’re more valuable because he owned them.
So here’s the question: Who do we belong to? Who’s our owner? Well, if we are in
Christ then God is our owner and this makes us extremely valuable. We are owned by
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the King of kings. Did you know that when God looks at you he doesn’t go, “Oh no! I
created that person? You’ve got to be kidding! What was I thinking when I did that
person?” No, not at all…when God looks at us he sees us as his special possession.
That’s what the text says in 1 Peter. Nobody values us more than God. Nobody! So the
first reason we are valuable is because we belong to God.
The second reason we are valuable is because of our rarity. Precious jewels and metals
are costly because they are not found everywhere. You have to hunt for them because
they are so scarce. Well, the truth is no one else in the entire world is exactly like you.
You are one of a kind and that makes you incredibly valuable!
The third reason we’re extremely valuable is because Jesus gave his life for us. That
sacrifice demonstrates our value. Jesus gave his life for us. A lot of people say, “I’m
nothing, I’m worthless, I’m no good. I’m junk.” But Jesus did not die for junk. You’re
not junk. So stop saying that.
Jesus paid for you with his life’s blood. Worth is determined by how much somebody is
willing to pay for it. The other day I heard about a rare baseball card that sold for
millions of dollars. You may think that’s crazy but the value of anything is determined by
whatever amount somebody is willing to pay for it. So how much are you worth? Look
at the cross. That’s how much you’re worth; that’s how much God paid to save you.
When Jesus had his hands stretched out and he was nailed to the cross, he was saying
“This is how much you’re worth. I’d rather die than live without you. I am willing to die
and shed my blood for you.” That’s how much you’re worth. If you want to know how
valuable you are, look at the cross.
So the first fingerprint of our new identity in Christ is: I’m completely accepted. The
second fingerprint is I’m extremely valuable. The third fingerprint is…
3. I am eternally loved.
The third thing Peter says about our true identity is in 2:10, “Once you were not a
people but now you are the people of God….” Once we didn’t have an identity but now
we are the people of God. This has profound implications. Because God says now that
we’re in Christ we’re part of his family; we’re the people of God.
In our human way we’re often ashamed of people in our families. You know those weird
uncles or aunts. Don’t look at them! You know who I’m talking about. Sometimes
we’re ashamed of relatives. But God is not ashamed of his family and he will never be.
Other people might be ashamed of us but God will never be ashamed of us after we’ve
become part of his family. In fact Hebrews 2:11 specifically says that Jesus is not
ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. Isn’t that amazing!
Jeremiah 31:3 says “I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have drawn you with
unfailing kindness.” There are two characteristics of God’s love that I want you to
memorize. Because if you forget these you’re going to let other people steal your
identity. If you don’t realize these you’re going to be sucked into performance mentality.
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Two things about God’s love: (1) it’s unconditional and (2) it is unfailing. God’s love is
unconditional and unfailing.
Jeremiah 31:3 says that God’s love is everlasting. That means it’s unconditional. God
does not say: I love you if you pray. I love you if you do good. I love you if you please
me. I love you if you’re a nice person or because you go to church or tithe or help the
poor. God does not love us because of anything about us. He loves us period.
Do you know why we have a hard time with that? Because we rarely experience it! We
may have experienced a few moments of unconditional love along the way. But no
human being loves unconditionally all the time…because we’re all broken. So our
parents didn’t always love us unconditionally. There were conditions at times. And we
don’t love unconditionally all the time either.
But God’s love is not only unconditional, it’s also unfailing. God says, “I have drawn you
with unfailing kindness.” That means God’s love is consistent. God isn’t fickle. He isn’t
unpredictable. God doesn’t have bad hair days. He isn’t moody. He doesn’t get up on
the wrong side of the bed. Some of you grew up with a dad who you never knew if he
was going to hug you or slug you. You never knew if he was going to be mad or sad or
glad.
But God’s love isn’t that way. His love is unfailing. You never have to ask “Is God going
to love me today? Did I do enough? Did I pray enough? Did I tell somebody about
Jesus? Did I give a big enough gift? Did I help somebody? Did I hold my temper? Did
I stop cussing?” You never have to say, “Is God going to love me today?”In fact, you
can’t make God stop loving you. God will never love us one ounce more than he does
right now, no matter what we do. And God is never going to love us one ounce less
than he does right now, no matter what we do. Because God’s love is not based on us;
it’s based on him – who he is. The Bible says: “God is love” (1 John 4:16).
The reason I’m eternally loved is because God is love. It doesn’t say he has love – he
is love. It is his character. The only reason love is in the universe is because the
Creator of the universe is love. If you take God out of the picture, there is no love. But
since God is love and his character isn’t going to change, then his love for us isn’t going
to change. Psalm 100:5 says: “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever.” You
may be unfaithful to him, but he’s not going to be unfaithful to you. Because God’s love
is eternal and his faithfulness lasts forever.
So who am I in Christ? I’m completely accepted. And I am extremely valuable. And I
am eternally loved. That’s my true identity. The fourth fingerprint is this…
4. I am totally forgiven.
1 Peter 2:10 says it like this: “…once you had not received mercy, but now you have
received mercy.” God’s mercy has given us God’s forgiveness. And God’s forgiveness
is total. Because God knows everything, it has to be total. He can’t partially forgive.
He can only forgive totally.
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Think about what that means. It means God knows the worst thing you’ve ever done or
ever will do. And he’s decided in Christ to forgive you of that already. You and I might
be surprised at our sins sometimes. But God is never surprised. If God had a Twitter
account, he would never tweet: “Oh my! That one shocked me.” He would never tweet
that because he’s never surprised. He knows in advance every wrong thing I’m going to
do and he’s already chosen to totally forgive me. The Good News of the Gospel is that
when I am in Christ God forgives totally, he doesn’t forgive partially. Our sins are totally
wiped out.
We have a hard time with this because we don’t forgive very well. It’s hard for us to
forgive completely. But that’s not how God operates. When God forgives he erases it.
He wipes it out; all the penalty, all the punishment is totally gone forever. He totally
forgives us. When we start to get a hold of that then we start to understand our true
identity.
But we get confused about this. When we’ve done something wrong and we feel guilt
about it sometimes we think that God’s trying to get back at us. Have you ever had that
happen? Where every little wrong thing that starts to happen in your life you think, “It’s
because of that sin. If I hadn’t done that…” You run into a traffic jam that’s usually not
there, you think, it’s because of that sin. You go to Taco Bell and order a taco and
there’s no meat in it, you think God’s getting back at you. It’s because of that sin. We
get into this thing where we think God is punishing us for our sin. But that is not what
God does. Yes, he disciplines us, but he does not punish us for our sin.
How do I know that? Because he told us! Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” There is no condemnation when we
are in Christ Jesus. God doesn’t carry grudges. He doesn’t rehearse our sins over and
over in his mind. God releases it. He forgives it totally because he is a forgiving God.
Isaiah 43:25 says: “I am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and
remembers your sins no more.” It’s God’s nature to forgive. He is a forgiver.
So this is our identity as Christ followers. I am completely accepted, I am extremely
valuable, I am eternally loved and I am totally forgiven. But there’s is one more.
5. I am fully capable.
This is our fifth fingerprint when we are in Christ. 1 Peter 2:9 says: “You are a royal
priesthood… that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness
into his wonderful light.” What does a priest do? Two things: He represents man to
God and he represents God to man. And God says we’re fully capable of doing that. As
a royal priest we’re to tell other people about how much God loves them, that in Christ
they’re accepted, forgiven, loved and valuable. That’s our job as a priest.
But many times we don’t feel very competent. We don’t feel very capable. We feel
overwhelmed by life. “I can’t get it all done. I can’t handle the pressure. I’m under a
load. I’m not competent. I can’t hold up.” Well, who are you going to believe? Yourself
or what God says about you? Feelings lie. God says you are fully capable to handle
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anything that comes at you in life. And you are fully capable of sharing the good news
with other people.
You may say “I can’t do that!” And you can’t on your own. But you’re not supposed to
do it on your own. You’re supposed to do it in the power of God. And when you’re in
Christ he gives you power to do things you never could do on your own. So why don’t
we feel confident? Because we play the old tapes! And we listen to what our parents
said. And we listen to what our peers said. And we listen to what society says and we
listen to what the media says. And we listen to what Satan says. And we listen to what
we tell ourselves. The only one we don’t believe is God. And God says we’re
accepted, valued, loved, forgiven and capable. We are fully capable to do what God us
wants to do with our life.
Why are we capable to handle everything that happens to us this next week? Because
Christ lives in us! Listen to Philippians 4:13….“I can do all this through him who gives
me strength.” I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. So think of the
thing you’re most afraid to do. God says you can do that. You’re fully capable of doing
it in Christ. You think, I could never do that! Are you going to believe your fears or
believe what God says? Are you going to believe what you think you know or are you
going to believe what God says?
Think of your greatest fear. You could do that. Think of the most difficult thing you think
you’d ever have to do in life. Maybe you’d have to forgive that person. Maybe you’d
have to ask for forgiveness. And you think you could never do that. Then you’re calling
God a liar. Because God Word says we can do all things through Christ. Whatever
God allows in our life, whatever the world throws at us, we are fully capable. We have
the full capacity to handle whatever life throws at us because we are in Christ. “I can do
all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Please repeat that out loud.
Invitation
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